Discourse Analysis

Daniel W. Russell, et al. "Predictors and Correlates of Continuing Involvement with the Baby's Father Among Adolescent Mothers." Journal of Family Psychology 12.3 (1998): 369-387. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.

At Baby Steps women get points if they bring support with them to their classes. They can use these points to go to the store to buy their child diapers, cribs and clothes. According to the article, fathers were more likely to stay involved with the adolescent mother if the couple had an intimate and supportive relationship 6 weeks after delivery. As I read more and more women are more likely to become successful due to the fact that they have assistance and it takes stress off of them to take care of a baby on their own. There is a difference between an adolescent father and father that is old in age. Youngs boy do not know how to take care of a child according to this article. I find this discriminatory because fathers that bare in old age might not know how to take care of a child also. Young boys have a lack of parenting skills and knowledge of child development. Women reply on men for emotional support, married or not. Men have an impact on a women’s well-being and behavior. Without moral support, I don’t think any women can take care of a baby on their own.

Father’s have a positive impact on their children. If he stays around the child is more likely to behave throughout their life. Fathers associated with their baby have advantages where as fathers who are not involved with their child causes problems with mothers and their success. The agency Baby Steps really stress these young ladies to bring support with them. They offer women points which makes no sense. The baby’s father should be involved regardless of the situation. These men are to provide a safe and nurturing environment for their infants. I find it fascinating that men effect women and their success. I find it bias that the articles looks only on adolescent father’s involved but it looks to me that everyone at Baby Steps are under the age of 25. After reading this article, I believe that a women can have success without a man being on her side. Every women in this world should be independent financially and emotionally. It was interesting to me that the article said that young boys do not know how to take care of a baby. I believe this is true. How can a baby take care of a baby? In today’s society, boys are leaving their significant other when it comes to their baby. The bias was coming from a particular group of people which was young boys, The worldview is that men, despite their age should step up to the plate and take care of their child. A women needs helps raising a baby but I think success should be put upon someone else. If you want to be something in life, you should be able to go get it if you wanted to. Baby Steps encourages all the young women to bring support because thats their back bone. They are offered double incentive points when they bring support. A support is an adult who is: the baby’s father, family member, friend, caseworker or anyone else who they feel is supportive.

I find it disappointing when I see these young women at Baby Steps and the baby’s father is not there to support them. I want to talk to these young ladies and figure out why the baby’s father isn’t there and why must they have to reply on an agency for money. The fathers should pay for child support and help these women out. Then again as I said before women should be independent and not rely on a man for success. It being money or a job. Men should just be there to handle their business and take care of their child. Moral Support is important in the agency, Baby Steps because it helps young limited low-income pregnant and newly parenting mothers.

BabySteps - A Community Ministry of St. Michael's Episcopal Cathedral. Baby Steps, Dec.-Jan. 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2011.

Baby Steps rely on a strong support system. As said on the website, “we rely on donations from individuals, businesses, and private foundations to guarantee that no family is ever charged a fee for our services.” Many women who attend Baby Steps are successful afterwards. With the abundance of help, these women have the opportunity to receive diapers, clothes, cribs, baby shower and so much more. A big thing in Baby Steps is having donations to help out other mothers. Some donations include toys, clothes, cribs and money. I would say these women are eachother’s support system. They help one another out by having stroller fitness where they do cardio and strength training exercises as well as weight loss after the birth. This provides a peer support environment. Most of these women are in the same predicament. They have no male figure for the baby and come alone. These women rely on the organization to help them since they are low in income. Baby Steps makes a difference and depends on us to provide many of the things needed for babies such as diapers, toiletries, new clothing, Boise transit bus passes and meter cards.

I read a success story from a mother named Ashley. She is a prime example of what I mean when women should be independent. She grew from her challenges. She graduated from high school earning her diploma with a 2 year old and pregnant with triplets at that time. She is now at a message therapy school with plans on continuing school as a CNA. She is a role model for other mothers at Baby Steps. She is determined to go beyond the horizons and show everyone she can handle any challenge put in front of her. The key to her success was education. Having a solid career is important to her and she sees that she must be better than her own mother. Her mother did not complete high school and she took that experience as something to better herself with. A said in her story, “As a single mother without the emotional or financial support of the children’s father, she is blessed to have a supportive grandmother who assists with her children’s care; allowing her to continue her education, work and provide for her family.” I give this mother credit because she showed everyone the baby’s father does not have to be there to be successful in life.

I found it bias that the program only helps women who are pregnant. Once you delivered your baby you can not join the program because the program is designed to help women have a healthy pregnancy and delivery. The women who can join is women who receive prenatal care, reside in Ada County, pregnant, English speaking and low in income. Women who did Baby Steps before can not do it again due to preventing a wait list. I think that women in general need help to raise a baby. I see why the agency only helps these women once so that they can learn from the first time and be able to save up and make money for the baby. I find it bias helping women instead of looking as it as generally speaking. Helping someone from one perspective is kind of iffy to me. I would want an agency to help all women in need of help. Helping others as Baby Steps does is amazing! The underlying values of this is that women should be successful without moral support. The world views is that people think that men are the reason for a women’s success which is not true. Ashley’s sorry is an example of being a single successful young women. She had no help and did everything on her own.

Obama, Barack. “Promoting Responsible Fatherhood.” Speech. 21 June. 2010. Youtube. Accessed on 28 Feb 2011.

Obama talks about fatherhood and personal responsibility. Men should balance the need of their families with the demands of their jobs. His question to all was how can we all come together to help fathers meet their responsibilities to our families and communities? He goes on talking about fathers are role models for a household. Fathers are teachers, coaches and mentors. Children who grow up without a father is most likely to live in poverty. Kids are more likely to drop out of school,wind up in prison, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away from home and become teenage parents themselves. Obama has a point but I disagree with that list. My father grew up without his dad and he finished high school, did not wind up in prison, never took a drug in his life or abused alcohol. He became old enough to have a kid and he’s the best father I can ever ask for. Leaving a family leaves a permanent scar on the child’s heart. Father’s are to give a kid everything they never had and more.

I believe that fathers should make their kids a priority in their lives. Father’s also set examples for us to follow and build a child’s character. They teach us trust in life and to enter it with confidence. I think that fathers should step up and take care of their obligations. Everyone has responsibilities in life but the men should also be there to help their girlfriend or wife with the baby. Obama really tries to enforce and raise awareness about responsible fatherhood and working to re-engage absent fathers with their families. Obama wants these men to be caught up in their child support payments and to reunite with their children.

I agree with Obama and what he has to say but I remember that he did vote against giving medical care to babies born alive after an abortion attempt. Did he not just go through an entire list of what “good fathers” are? He worked against efforts to ban the practice of leaving babies who survived failed abortions to die. There’s a lot of issues in the government such as funding for schools, how are these children supposed to share book, pens if there’s a lack of teachers and funding.

The bias I found in this was that it was kind of a contradictory of his actions and words. He tells these fathers to support single mothers and their children. This speech was mainly the coercion of men to support women that are not their wives and children that are not apart of their lives. The underlying values of this speech is that people don’t realize how how it is to be a father and that women are successful with a father being involved. I get what Obama says about a father being involved and having a hug impact on the child’s life. The world views this speech as something not to be proud of since other issues come into account like funding for school and the abortion issue. I agree that father’s take full responsibility of their actions and pay for child support. If you have sex, you should be able to be a man and step up to the plate.

Sheldon, Sally. "From 'absent objects of blame' to 'fathers who want to take responsibility': reforming birth registration law." Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law 31.4 (2009): 373-389. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Mar. 2011.

Absent fathers has been an issue for some decades now weather they should pay child support or to support the relationships with children that men want and deserved but are unfairly denied. I don’t blame child if they don’t want to accept their father if he was absent for a long period of time and decides to show up. I wouldn’t want him to be involved in my life at all. This article talks about fatherhood, single fathers, domestic relations, social problems and child welfare. My response to this is that men should be involved with the child regardless of the situation. The Welfare Reform Bill which aims to increase the proportion of unmarried fathers who are names on birth certificates. The implies that fatherhood is an active engagement with their children rather than a disciplinary act. As said in the article, “fathers to be more involved with their offspring and the likely success of initiatives in parenting as a means of addressing broader social problems.”

My research question was is there more chance of success if the baby’s father is around or if they have some form of strong moral support? According to thus article, men in fact do have an impact on a child’s success. I don’t believe in this because if you want something in life you should be able to strive for it yourself. No one is going to help you get to where you want to be in life. I want to be a delivery nurse when I’m older. My father always told me if I want something, go get it and don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do it cause you can. Fathers do have an impact on a child but I believe an absent father has an effect on a child’s success.

I find it bias that they look at fathers in one perspective. I think every child has a different effect if their father was not there in their lives. Some children find it a hard time living through life without a dad. My friend has never seen his dad and does not know him. He doesn’t like discussing him because he left when he was just a baby, My other friend on the other had sees her dad once a month and comes in contact with him. I’m glad I have a dad that supports me in my endeavors and what I want to become when I get older. The world views that men be involved. They key word is involved. If you want to make a baby, be responsible for your actions.

"MTV." Advertising Age 81.18 (2010): C50. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 28 Feb. 2011.

I used this source because it shows young teen single mothers on a show called Teen Moms. This young girls ages, 16-18 show us the challenges they go through everyday without their baby’s father involved. These young ladies are successful without them. They have the help of their family to help out with the babies. Girls move out and find an apartment and find a job to help pay for rent. These girls boyfriends leave them unattended and these girls have a hard time taking care of the baby. Half of these girls go back to school to get their GED.

I would say these girls are successful because they balance out taking care of a baby, having a job and going to school. I give these girls credit because I don’t think I can do it without the help of someone else. I have learned a lot from Baby Steps and looking up sources that correspond to my question. The bias I found was that all young boys do not stick around to handle their business. I found this interesting because they want to have sex but when it comes down to it, they leave when they find out they are having a baby.