So I am creating a teen pregnancy story, and no. I hope it will not be cliche.
I have researched a lot of statistics about teen pregnancy, and I hope that I can make it as real as possible, and also show the struggles of teen pregnancy.
So here are my main points that make it not cliche:
They don’t end up together
I know a lot of people will be disappointed with this, but it is true. A lot of teen parents DON’T end up together. And they are not automatically in love from the moment of conception. In fact, they were never in love, they were just together for one night, no more. They remain friends and only friends. There is no physical attraction (or emotional, I should add), between the two.
Neither of them are rich
Neither of them are rich. A lot of times, (in episode stories), the parents are rich, and the couple never needs to work. They just magically have the money for everything the baby needs. Of course, this is never the case. They both must get jobs, (and of course, the girl stops at her maternity leave point, but resumes when the baby is old enough). They will experience being fired, promoted (but not immediately), and rejection.
The Parents aren’t overly supportive
No, the parents aren’t going to kick them out, for those of you wondering. But no, they are not going to provide everything. And no, the dad isn’t going to be SO mad at the baby daddy. In fact, the dad in this story isn’t going to be mad at all, but the mom is going to be so disappointed, it hurts. (And I’m not going to give too much away, but it causes problems with them later).
Adventure is not out there, actually
The future does not hold too many exciting things for them, actually. She doesn’t go on to star in a movie, or write a book. (Well, maybe she writes a book), I don’t know. She lives a quiet, simple life. She has to go to work everyday, and she trades off her baby with the baby daddy.
Relationship Reality
She finds someone, and he finds someone. She has 3 more kids with her new lover, and he has 1 more. They are STILL friends, and not at all jealous of the other. They don’t just meet their new spouses out of no where and fall in love. They have known them for years, have dated for years, and finally got married. It’s not a run-of-the-mill decision.
They are not perfect
They do not look perfect, is what I mean by that. The girl does not have perfect skin, a perfect body, perfect hair, and is totally beautiful. (Of course, I can’t change a lot of these). The guy is not a jock, but not a nerd. He is average. He is not super popular, and neither is she. They are both average. And average looking.
Their friends aren’t horrible
Their friends don’t leave them after finding out they are pregnant. They are shocked, but they don’t leave. They don’t necessarily volunteer to watch the baby, but they do think that the baby is cute, and spend time with it. They don’t have a lot of friends, but they certainly don’t lose friends.
Tell me if you think this is all good! Also, leave any tips or other annoying cliches in the comments!