When boys become parents: adolescent fatherhood

After-school specials about teenage pregnancy abound. Whether in television or in society, the focus tends toward young girls coping with all of the emotional and physical burdens of pregnancy. Rarely is the perspective of the teenage fathers portrayed.In this informative book, Mark Kiselica draws on his many years of counseling teenage fathers to offer a compassionate look at the difficult life circumstances and the complicated hardships these young men experience. Through vignettes of real-life experiences, based on Kiselicaâ s many years of counseling, readers are offered a glimpse into the plight, frustrations, and insurmountable challenges these teenage fathers face. He dispels many of the myths surrounding teenage fatherhood and shows that, contrary to popular belief, these young men are often emotionally and physically involved in relationships with their partner and their child. But without support and guidance from adults, these relationships often deteriorate in the first year of the childâ s life. Kiselica offers advice for professionals and policy-makers that calls for support groups led by caring male role models, bonding through sports before counseling begins, and peer-based recruitment. This book also features several model service programs already in existence that demonstrate that increased social support can lead to improved lives for the boys and their children. When Boys Become Parents provides a moving portrait of teenage fathers to any reader who wants to understand and help these young men to become more competent and loving parents during their journey to adulthood.