‘Mom’ and the Lighter Side of Teen Pregnancy
Episode two and “Mom” is already too raunchy for its own
good. The episode started with a positive teen pregnancy test and continued
with multiple uncalled for sexual references that did not advance the plot
whatsoever. It included uncomfortable references to an older man having sex
with a teenage girl, casual conversation about the intimate parts of a sexual
relationship, and a young boy using language that can only be described as
wildly inappropriate for his age.
In the world of “Mom,” getting pregnant as a teen is okay, normal, and happens all the time. Three generations of this family have now gotten pregnant as teens. Having sex and children outside of marriage is without explicit consequences.
Raising a family is no walk in the park, but “Mom” works to make this very off-kilter family life look carefree, masking the reality is of broken relationships and battles between parents and their children. Sadly, few traditional families can be found on television, so what we are shown is the lighter side of teen pregnancy, even though that really does not exist.
Now, perhaps we should be grateful for small favors: the young teen in "Mom" is planning to keep the child and not have an abortion. While that’s at least a step in the right direction, what about the behavior that caused the pregnancy in the first place? Maybe instead of saying that everything is going to be fine and almost praising her pregnancy, a little lesson on abstinence or the consequences of our actions would have fit better. But that’s not how television works anymore.
