Jamie Lynn Spears of Zoey 101 fame, the Nickelodeon show, and oh yes the 16 year old sister of Britney has confirmed that she is pregnant. Just yesterday Nickelodeon released a teaser press release hinting of a huge cliffhanger in the next season. At the time it was just that Zoey might be leaving the boarding school but I guess this news would top that.

Why run from it? I think Nickelodeon should get brave and show the pregnant Spears grappling with the issue. Let her talk about her fears and concerns. Let her talk to people who have given their children to other parents or have opted for termination or motherhood.

If we believe that 16 year old kids are not dealing with these issues directly then we are forgetting what it was like for us. My best friend when I a teenager came home pregnant. Her mom bundled her off for an abortion and she never told her father about it. Her mom didn’t even go with her to the clinic.

There are confusing enough messages about sex and contraception out there and in the wake of it are the casualties of kids like Zoey. Don’t have sex, have sex but use condoms, wait until marriage, wait until you are in a committed relationship. All this nonsense has to stop.

The problem is our society makes it a disaster if they do and then get pregnant and want to keep the child. They don’t have a moral problem they have an economic one. While I don’t worry about little Spears as she clearly has enough money to make this a non issue, it does send a message to other teens who would not have the resources to deal with it. I think Nickelodeon should get brave and show what it is like for a pregnant teen with no money.

Let the kids see the two am feedings, the constant exhaustion, the fight for money, health care coverage, finding a hospital, paying for all the baby stuff (onesies, high chairs, car seats, strollers, etc). I want to see Zoey call around trying to find day care so she can go to work for a 7 dollars an hour. I want to see Zoey try to ask for time off from her boss because her kid needs to get a flu shot or is projectile vomiting. At 34 when I had my child, I had the support of my husband and parents and I wanted to go to scream outloud at times until it all went away and I would bet that there are a lot of moms who felt that way.

Get BRAVE Keep her on the show!