Teen fathers are often overlooked in the big picture of teen pregnancy.

The focus is

always on the teenage mother and her baby, who need support and help, and seldom tackled

is the impact of fatherhood on a teenage boy.

This study posits that teenage fathers also need help, advice, and encouragement to take
responsibility both for their babies and for their own education and future. This conviction made
the researcher decide to investigate on the Teenage Fathers‟ experiences, needs and the
lessons as they reflect on their experiences and current situations.

Infants need love, warmth and acceptance --- all these are conveyed through parenting, that of
a mother or a father. Santrock (2006) cited that fathers have the ability to act sensitively and
responsively with their infants. In addition, fathers‟ involvement in child care produces positive
results.But what if these fathers are teenage fathers? Do they possess the capacity to be
involved in child-rearing?

To better understand this special group of fathers, it is important to know who these
youths are, the reasons that led them to such status, and the ways by which they have been
affected by the pregnancy and by fatherhood.
Data from the National Center for Health Statistics suggests that about 17.4 per 1,000 males
ages 15-19 years became teen fathers in 2002. Longitudinal studies suggest this number might
be even higher. While the incidence of teen fatherhood is lower than that of teen motherhood,
these young men are potential resource for their child, as well as individuals with their own
unmet needs.
The usual outset of teenage fatherhood is premarital sex. Young Adult Fertility Survey (YAFS) II
revealed that 18%, or 2.5 million of Filipinos aged 15- 24 have engaged in premarital sex, and
74% of this figure (approximately1.8 million) does not use any contraceptive method to prevent
pregnancy. What is more disconcerting is the fact that the great majority – that is, 1.67 million of
these youth are unwilling & unprepared to become parents (Raymundo & Diaz,1996).
Elster, (1990) explained that parenthood occurring during school-age years is probably
devastating to young fathers than if it occurred after graduation. Several issues plagued the
teenage fathers. As regards schooling for instance, teen fathers are less likely to earn a high
school diploma, as cited by the New Mexico Teen Pregnancy Coalition. Both teen mothers and
fathers are much less likely to graduate high school than their non-parent counterparts. The
failure to graduate can be due to financial pressure resulting from having a baby to take care
of. Teen fathers and mothers may drop out of high school to get a job in order to earn money
and take care of their child. They may also be unable to find adequate support and help with
caring for the baby during school hours and feel there is no other choice than to drop out,
[Mueller (2009)].
Considering employment, Stengel (2005) confirmed that teenage fathers usually have
lower incomes. One reason for this is that a teenager who has got his girlfriend pregnant often
compounds his first mistake with a second one: dropping out of school. The author cited Amy
Williams, the executive director of the Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting Project in San
Francisco that “when teenage fathers leave school, they head right for a low-paying job".
Another important issue is on stereotyping. Research has found that some people
believe teenage parents should get married and the mother should serve as the primary
caretaker; the father should work to support his family. In the Philippines, this has become the
stereotyped gender roles and teenage fathers need to meet what is expected of them.
These stereotype roles, however, prevent the teenage fathers from further enhancing
their skills through training or through obtaining a diploma that will pave the way for better.
employment opportunity.

Since they need to become early providers, they tend to grab the

first employment that they get.

Findings of the 1994 Young Adults Fertility & Sexual Study (YAFS II) reveals that a

large proportion of the young people aged 15 -24 years in the Philippines reported themselves

as becoming parents at an "early age" (52% among men & 67% among women). Having

married "too young", these men, based on their ideal age at marriage, missed 5 years of their

lives during which they could have "enjoyed being single", "planned own life", "finished

studies", or "worked and pursued own career".

In addition, Kimball (2004) mentioned that teen fathers face a developmental

dilemma. They need to undergo transition into parenthood while simultaneously going through

adolescence and become adults. Their fatherhood is impacted by both their ethnicity and

cultural norms. Teenage fatherhood grows out of both personal and social contexts which

influence young men's decisions regarding being sexually active, whether to use

contraception, and ponder on pregnancy outcomes. Despite common stereotypes, there is an

increasing evidence that teen fathers want to be (and are) involved with their children in some

ways.

The problem is, even adults face disequilibrium in the transition to parenthood,

Santrock (2006). But it is also certain that teenage fathers would desire to have a strong bond

with their child but this would also entail a slight disengagement from peer acquaintances.

As published in Education for adolescents UNICEF EAP Strategic Framework (2010),

and risk. All teenagers experience growth spurts and hormonal surges that potentially

contribute to erratic and impulsive behavior.

Accidents and injuries, often quite avoidable, are the major causes of death for

adolescents. While certain types of risk taking are encouraged as part of active learning in the

classroom, risky behaviors during adolescence, such as smoking and drug abuse have

become usual fads, which can have life-long and negative consequences, including

unplanned pregnancy and infection with HIV/AIDS (IAWGCP, 2008).

The stage of adolescence is also described as a period of life marked by positive

energy, idealism and a belief in the possibility of changing the world. The positive energy might

lead to egocentrism and the self might be the center or focus of teenagers making them

anxious of what the environment perceives about them. This is also the period of hallucinating

on a utopian community and the danger would be the exposure to the real world especially if

one becomes a teenage father exposed to the stereotyped role of fatherhood and motherhood;

the former being the provider and the latter as the home- based caregiver. This leads to a

premature and rapid fulfillment of the adolescents‟ developmental tasks. With the physical
changes happening among adolescents, they tend to have feelings

of instability. More than physical changes, their interests, and new group roles may create

confusion on them. They tend to: (1) achieve new and more mature relations with age- mates

or both sexes; (2) achieve a masculine or feminine social role; (3) accept one’s physique and

using one’s body effectively, (4) desire, accept, and achieve socially responsible behavior; (5)

achieve emotional independence from parents and other adults; (6) prepare for an economic

career; (7) prepare for marriage and family life, and; (8) acquire a set of values and an ethical

system as a guide to behavior-developing ideology, Gines (1998)

Further, the adolescent establishes his personality along three dimensions: gender

identity, occupational identity, and moral identity. Being able to play his sex role is an important

task for the adolescence. Choosing and developing his field of works give directions to his
efforts and activities. The value he holds determines his beliefs and commitment to the society

(Gines, 1998).

Adolescence has been thought of as a period of “storm and stress”, a time of

heightened emotional tension resulting from the physical and gradual changes that are taking

place. As they mature, they get involved in different interpersonal relations. It is but normal to

have conflicts in any relationship for instance, which they need to overcome. Emotional

maturity is said to have been achieved if the individual does not “explode”, has temper

tantrums, or sulk when disappointed. Another important indication of maturity is when the

individual assesses a situation critically instead of reacting irrationally and emotionally to a

situation. The individual is able to think about the circumstances, to make decisions, to act

accordingly, and solve problems rather than engage in an unhealthy emotional outburst. The

adolescent should be encouraged to discuss problems with the “significant others” (Gines,

1998).

During the adolescence stage, Erikson discussed that teens should be able to develop

awareness of the uniqueness of „self‟, knowledge of role to be followed, or they might end up

dealing with inability to identify appropriate roles in life. Thus, a person confused about the

most appropriate role to play in life may lack a stable identity, adopt an unacceptable role such

as that of a social deviant, or have difficulty maintaining close personal relationships later in

life (Feldman, 2010).

On the other hand, Freud’s Psychosexual Stage of development explains that sexual

feelings or interest reemerge and establishments of more mature sexual relationship occur,

Feldman (2010). The onset of puberty for boys is marked by their first ejaculation, known as

spermarche. This usually occurs around the age of 13. The rate at which physical change

occurs during adolescence can affect the way in which people are viewed by others and the

way they view themselves.

In addition, Kohlberg explained that during this stage, adolescents can reason on a
higher plane, having typically reached Piaget’s formal operational stage of cognitive
development. Because they are able to comprehend broad moral principles, they can

understand that morality is not always black and white and that conflict can exist between two

sets of socially accepted standards (Feldman, 2010).

According to Piaget as cited by Gines (1998), boys and girls during adolescence have

reached the so called stage of formal operations in cognitive development. They are now

capable of considering all the possible ways of solving a particular problem and can reason

on the bases of hypotheses or prepositions.

All the foregoing citations are nipped in the bud once teenage fathers faced the

challenging tasks of fatherhood. As discussed in the literature, several issues confront the

teenage father; and this study further explored their experiences and needs in fulfilling their

paternal obligations in spite of their young age.

Findings of the study will greatly contribute to the guidance counseling program as it

revealed an occasion for guidance counselors to strengthen programs for the integral

formation of the youth and open opportunities for the development of healthy self- concept,

high sense of morality and an open understanding on sexual activities and its various

implications. This was made possible in the attainment of the objectives of the study.

The study aimed to disclose the profile of teenage fathers; factors that influenced them

to engage in pre-marital sex; and, identify their experiences and needs.

Moreover, the researcher endeavored to discover the different strategies used by the

participants in coping with their conditions. Likewise, the aims of the study include the

identification of lessons learned and reflected by the participants based on their experiences

and current situation.

The data gathered from the participants provided meaningful inputs for guidance

counselors, school administrators, parents, social workers, psychologists, educators, and

researchers in their respective pursuits in developing programs that will help the youth in

dealing with similar challenges and in achieving greater awareness and understanding about
the huge responsibility which beset teenage fathers.