Ed's letter - South Africa

TEEN ISSUESTEEN ISSUESSugar Daddies!Teenagers often commit themselvesto things that won’t benefit themin the long run. Why does a minorhave to date an older man so that shecan benefit materially? I have realised thatteenagers are very materialistic and theywant things quickly. This leads them to beingdependant and not knowing how tosupport themselves.There are many ways teen girls make asugar daddy stick around. Some go as faras having unprotected sex with the intentionof falling pregnant so that they receivemoney from them and support grantsfrom the government. They forget that themoney given to them is for the child andnot for themselves. Why does one have tomake an innocent soul live a life of pain?Their “fun” teenage years result in a thechild’s suffering.What happened to ‘Ubuntu’ and girls havingpride in themselves? What happenedto having dignity and morality? How canour nation have lost our positive attitude?Do teenagers of today want to see themselveswalking down memory lane one dayand seeing only faded images on their wallunframed, unnumbered and unorganised?duced. We can overcome these obstaclesand improve conditions in this country.We are like architects: we plan and drawour lives and with a positive attitude wewill be able to see a life of opportunity. Iregard us as a “lucky generation” becauseeverything is out there for us, it is justwaiting for us to reach for it.Our society has come to a point whereseeing a girl with a sugar daddy is acceptablebut what are we doing about this? Doyou want to be another statistic of unemploymentand teenage pregnancy, not tomention HIV and AIDS?We should be disappointed in ourselvesand this disappointment should encourageus to transform into a better society.Family also contributes to the epidemicof young females having sugar daddies. Forinstance, a family which is financially unstabledepends on government social grantsfor their survival and perhaps they have ayoung girl, who they will convince to dateolder men - men who will be able to offersome financial support to the young girl’sfamily. The family see this as a benefit andare not aware of the danger that they areputting their child in – the child may pickup any infection, be abused or land up withHIV or AIDS - -not to mention the moralissues.Young girls should stand up for themselvesand have pride. Being someone’s trophy isno better than being someone’s toy. Cometo think of it, these sugar daddies probablyhave several girlfriends. So think about it:how many girls sit on the front seat nextto that man you are sitting with? Is thatthe kind of life you want for yourself? Isthat the kind of story you want to tellyour children and the kind of legacy youwant to leave behind?Story and poem by Kutlwano Smith, images by Kamogelo PhalaFact BlogSex is a sin, kissing is a shameGuys have all the fun,while girls get the blameOne night of pleasure,Nine months of pain,Three days in hospitalWith a baby to nameBoys say youre cute,Boys say youre fine,but when you have their babythey say “it’s not mine”You might think I’m crazyBut take my adviceDon’t be a motherBefore you be a wifeWhy do these girls cheapen themselves?Beauty fades, character doesn’t, so bewise and transform yourself to a betterperson. How long do you think thesesugar daddies will be around for? Is degradingyourself by sleeping around withthese old (often married) men worth it?Teenage girls should stop being the causeof families breaking up, they should stopbeing cash suckers and start playing theirrole and acting their age.Most teenagers face peer pressure, butwhy succumb to it? Why not stand outrather than blend in? Confidence is a hugecontributor and if you have confidence,you can stand your ground and say “no”.We all face obstacles but it is how you reactto them that proves your character.It would be wonderful to see the teenagepregnancy and HIV infection rates re-28 29