THE OTHER DAY I was reading THE NATION newspaper. I cahn even remember fuh the life of me what the date o’ the paper was now but I come across a story wid a big able picture wid four young people, all looking like brothers and sisters. But no, soul!
After checking out the picture, I read the caption underneath it and was in shock when I read dat the two older-looking people in the picture were 29 and 30-year-old married and divorced parents of the younger girl, who was standing next tuh her boyfriend. She was 15 years and he was 14.
Well, I was in more shock; so I turned and read the story which said that the 15-year-old girl was now pregnant fuh the 14-year-old boy.
Ting, I actually saw myself shaking my head and hollering fuh: “Well, well, well”, but I continued tuh read.
The man said that he and the young woman had a baby when dem was in high school. I think he said he was 15 and she was 16 years old. He went on tuh say that the two of dem got married but weren’t married anymore and some other girl is now pregnant fuh him.
I cahn even remember which one o’ dem it was who said dat when the girl tell dem dat she was pregnant wanted tuh hit the roof – I think it was the man, ya know.
Anyway, he say dat he remembered dat he did the same thing. So now at 29 he is a grandfather, and she is a grandmother at 30 years.
But look, um ain’t nutten strange. The same very thing happening ’bout here nowadays, hear? One o’ my brothers tell me dat the other day he went into the antenatal clinic at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and was shocked tuh see the amount o’ li’l girls in there big pregnant. Some o’ dem ain’t even lost duh mother features yet. Some o’ dem got a li’l young fella sitting down next tuh dem and one or two o’ dem got li’l toddlers tagging on tuh dem or on behind dem.
I had tuh say dat one time when ya went in there you would see more mature women, some married, some not, but not so nowadays. It is only bare li’l people. Sometimes I wonder if it is some kinda fad fuh these li’l girls tuh have a baby. Duh like duh believe it is some kinda dolly dat dem gine play wid for a time when it suits dem and put down when duh like.
Doan talk ’bout when ya see dem in town at all. The poor li’l children does be tagging ’long behind the mothers bawling ’cause duh li’l legs tired, and the young mothers does be barking at the children ’cause dem is children duhselves and perhaps just as miserable, frustrated and just as tired as the very children.
Some people would say dat it is inevitable when they see the amount o’ li’l girls wid babies nowadays. Some would say dat dem come along and hear old people saying dat it is because the very Bible say dat in the last days children shall have children. Well, I ain’t know ’bout dat. Just because God predicted it dah doan mean he prescribing it.
He might not want it tuh happen but we know how it is wid humans, especially in this day and age. Evahbody is a law unto duh own self and doing as duh very well like.
But our Government has tuh look seriously at the long-term consequences dat we gine suffer as a result of this sort o’ behaviour.
Look, if children who ain’t know diddly squat ’bout helping duhselves, and duh nevah wuk a day in duh lives or nevah had any kind o’ responsibility whatsoevah, what effect you think it is going tuh have in the country in the next twenty or so years?
From where I stand, all I can see is a bare poverty trap, a hand tuh mout, welfare, cap in hand mentality.
Now, all we older folk know dat this should be the future workforce, so dat the pensions and taxes could be paid but, rather than dat, we are seeing a poor education, poor discipline, poor health and poor mentality generation emerging, a dependent workforce.
It is scary!
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.
