I am not trying to pathologize child bearing, but to describe what is often going on with women who are clearly not in a position to be getting pregnant. Being in such a position would include; not being involved already in child services bureau because you have already demonstrated problems in caring for the children you already have, not being involved in drug usage, having a stable home and having a source of income to continue to have a stable home, not repeatedly ending up in abusive relationships because without a man you have no self-identity, having proper education and family support to provide for children physically, emotionally and financially, to name a few. I have been involved in discussions with women who experience problems with all of the above, and a repeating theme they bring in is that they are determined to do it differently than was done for them. Surely, they love their kids, and they love children. But loving children is not the same as making pragmatic preparations for their well-being. And, I believe that this drive to undo their own childhoods is behind their having more children than they can handle. Again, not all single motherhood is pathological, but when you are in a drug treatment program, living in a women's shelter, with no sizeable income or job skills, that is not the time to be having kids. And there is alot of this coming through the doors of our agency. And our city is but a microcosm of the country, and this trend concerns me.
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