Single teen moms in paranormal fiction

Missus Akasha · Jan 20, 2012

I've got this story idea that has been bugging me lately, but my main character is an eighteen-year-old teenaged mom with an almost one-year-old daughter. The daughter has a significant purpose in the plot. I know there are quite a few pregnancy/teen parent stories in the YA genre, but I have yet to seen teen parents as main characters on the paranormal side of the genre.

Would having a teen mom has a main character in a paranormal story make it seem like I am glorifying teen pregnancy and teen parenting? Or bashing it by implying that if you get pregnant when you are a teenager then your baby will be the devil's spawn? Or being preachy about the subject matter in general?

Should I just toss this story idea into the trash?

missesdash · Jan 20, 2012

I think the reason you don't see teen moms in paranormal is because being a new mom, especially when you're still in high school is completely time consuming. So if she's doing anything besides going to school, possibly working and taking care of her kid (like saving the world or hunting ghosts) I'd be thinking "uh, doesn't she have more important things to do?"

Elysium · Jan 20, 2012

I think you should go for it & see where it goes.

eventidepress · Jan 20, 2012

missesdash said:
I think the reason you don't see teen moms in paranormal is because being a new mom, especially when you're still in high school is completely time consuming. So if she's doing anything besides going to school, possibly working and taking care of her kid (like saving the world or hunting ghosts) I'd be thinking "uh, doesn't she have more important things to do?"

It could work though... I mean, hypothetically, if the world is about to end, then saving it falls under the category of protecting/taking care of your kid! Since if the world ends, your kid would die? <.< Could be a good character motivation!
I say write it. Any idea can work if it's written well and it works for the story

Becca C. · Jan 20, 2012

Try it out. I can imagine tons of possibilities.

lemonhead · Jan 20, 2012

Here's my take. I think it stops being ya at that point, regardless of her age. Pregnancy stories can still be ya, but after you have a child for a year...you just aren't a teenager anymore. So, the story would work but it would not fall into the ya genre. Plus, it's always THE most important thing, the highest stake in her life...so much more serious content matter.
And whoever said time consuming....yeah.
I had a dream after I had my first that was all thriller novel (I was rescuing my cop husband from a gang in Mexico) and the entire dream I ran around Mexico pumping brestmilk and putting it in my purse while I tracked down my husband. In the end we were captured and they were going to kill us with fire ants. It turned out that I could kill the ants by pouring my pumped milk on them, and I had to think about it. And I cried the entire time I did it. THAT'S how you change as a mom. Lol.

Chrissy · Jan 21, 2012

egoodlett said:
It could work though... I mean, hypothetically, if the world is about to end, then saving it falls under the category of protecting/taking care of your kid! Since if the world ends, your kid would die? <.< Could be a good character motivation!
I say write it. Any idea can work if it's written well and it works for the story

True. But, you'll have to get a babysitter, unless you're bringing the kid along on the save-the-world mission. Maybe you can have a g-ma available. Or give the kid paranormal abilities? Interesting!

Niiicola · Jan 21, 2012

lemonhead said:
I had a dream after I had my first that was all thriller novel (I was rescuing my cop husband from a gang in Mexico) and the entire dream I ran around Mexico pumping brestmilk and putting it in my purse while I tracked down my husband. In the end we were captured and they were going to kill us with fire ants. It turned out that I could kill the ants by pouring my pumped milk on them, and I had to think about it. And I cried the entire time I did it. THAT'S how you change as a mom. Lol.

You had me laughing out loud with this one. Nothing quite like pumping anxiety. Been there, done that (well not in Mexico and putting it in my purse!).

Missus Akasha, given the popularity of that show Teen Mom, you might have something here. I say go for it!

lemonhead · Jan 21, 2012

Niiicola said:
You had me laughing out loud with this one. Nothing quite like pumping anxiety. Been there, done that (well not in Mexico and putting it in my purse!).

Missus Akasha, given the popularity of that show Teen Mom, you might have something here. I say go for it!

Oh it was such a bad dream! haha. In every tense situation (like hiding in a car, or about to get caught) all I thought about was "OMG, I have to pump or I'm gonna lose my supply!"

missesdash · Jan 21, 2012

Niiicola said:
You had me laughing out loud with this one. Nothing quite like pumping anxiety. Been there, done that (well not in Mexico and putting it in my purse!).

Missus Akasha, given the popularity of that show Teen Mom, you might have something here. I say go for it!

Ugh man Teen Mom is definitely not something to aspire towards. People like that show because they like watching trainwrecks. I'm sure they'd like it a lot less if there were ghosts and vampires.

But I agree with the poster who said it would work more as an adult book. A teenage mom is still a mom and parenthood is an adult issue that most kids (and a lot of adults, for that matter) can't relate to.

Kriven · Jan 21, 2012

Anybody who thinks teen moms aren't as immature and reckless as they were before giving birth hasn't spent enough time with them. I know a handful of them, and they basically ditch the kid with Grammy and Grandpa while they go off to smoke weed or fondle the crotches of other men.

Most of them don't even seriously take care of their child because they are "a burden."

missesdash · Jan 21, 2012

Kriven said:
Anybody who thinks teen moms aren't as immature and reckless as they were before giving birth hasn't spent enough time with them. I know a handful of them, and they basically ditch the kid with Grammy and Grandpa while they go off to smoke weed or fondle the crotches of other men.

Most of them don't even seriously take care of their child because they are "a burden."

Wow, this is really hateful and offense.

Let's try not to litter the thread with classism and slut shaming, alright bro? I think it's generally frowned upon to make sweeping generalizations about a demographic based on "the handful" you know.

Kriven · Jan 21, 2012

I'm just putting it out there that each is an individual. While the ones you're familiar with may be more mature in their duties, there are also reckless ones who don't really care. My point was, though it wasn't clear, that there isn't any reason why a "teen mom" wouldn't have time to be battling demons, since they don't all live the same lives. There are some who would have the time, or make the time, just as there are some who would not.

Also that "once you're a mom it's an adult book" doesn't hold much water to it. That's also a generalization, albeit a somewhat more positive one (assumes that all mothers are mature enough to handle adult situations in an adult manner.)

I don't personally have anything against teen mothers, at least not as a group of people. I was largely playing Devil's Advocate.

Elysium · Jan 21, 2012

Yeah, please don't make generalizations. I know a lot of girls who had their kids at a young age but they're taking care of them without 'ditching' them as you say. Sure I don't agree with having kids at a young age. I'm a teen and I seriously wouldn't know what to do if I got pregnant. But you don't know everyone's situations. Some people make mistakes and I'm not glorifying teen's having babies or anything but I'm really tired of people putting teens who have kids down. You don't know their situation and I know a bunch of teen moms who are going to college and going to work and taking care of their kids the best way they know how and I think it would be cool if MA wrote a book representing them too.

Sure having kids is an 'adult thing' but they are still teens no matter how you look at it.

My two cents.

missesdash · Jan 21, 2012

Kriven said:
I'm just putting it out there that each is an individual. While the ones you're familiar with may be more mature in their duties, there are also reckless ones who don't really care. My point was, though it wasn't clear, that there isn't any reason why a "teen mom" wouldn't have time to be battling demons, since they don't all live the same lives. There are some who would have the time, or make the time, just as there are some who would not.

Also that "once you're a mom it's an adult book" doesn't hold much water to it. That's also a generalization, albeit a somewhat more positive one (assumes that all mothers are mature enough to handle adult situations in an adult manner.)

I don't personally have anything against teen mothers, at least not as a group of people. I was largely playing Devil's Advocate.

The argument "once you're a mom, it's an adult book" has nothing to do with maturity level or how it's handled. The age group for a book depends on its readers. There are teenagers in college, but college aged protagonists still don't (usually) fly in YA because most teens are in high school.

So when I said "it's an adult book," I meant that a woman who has a one year old child is not, in practical terms, someone that most YA readers can relate to. In order to talk about marketing, you have to make generalizations.

But your comments about the family situations and sex lives of the pregnant teenagers you know were *highly* irrelevant to the discussion since none of that is anyone else's business. Maybe be a little more tactful in how you phrase your argument. Your post was seriously icky in tone and word choice.

lemonhead · Jan 21, 2012

missesdash said:
The argument "once you're a mom, it's an adult book" has nothing to do with maturity level or how it's handled. The age group for a book depends on its readers. There are teenagers in college, but college aged protagonists still don't (usually) fly in YA because most teens are in high school.

So when I said "it's an adult book," I meant that a woman who has a one year old child is not, in practical terms, someone that most YA readers can relate to. In order to talk about marketing, you have to make generalizations.

.

Ditto.
It's about knowing the market and who you are writing for. In YA the stakes are different than in adult books. It's what defines the YA market.
Once you add a child, especially one that is a year old and the spawn of your MC, the stakes are totally different (regardless of maturity level). That element makes it an adult book regardless of the maturity.

frimble3 · Jan 21, 2012

Speaking as an old lady of 50, (who has seen a lot of variation in mothers and mothering at all ages - I am childless, I got no dog in this fight) it would be nice to see a YA paranormal in which the female MC had bigger things to consider than 'which of these two hot boys, one normal, one supernatural, do I like best?'
One where the MC has responsibilities to consider. Maybe having a child will make her think twice about Stalkerboy. Maybe having to find childcare will make it harder to kill vampires.
I think if you've got an idea, go with it. Write the story you want to write, then figure out what category it goes in.
And if you do an honest and thoughtful job, you can avoid both glorifying and bashing. (Is the baby the devil's spawn?)

eventidepress · Jan 21, 2012

frimble3 said:
Speaking as an old lady of 50, (who has seen a lot of variation in mothers and mothering at all ages - I am childless, I got no dog in this fight) it would be nice to see a YA paranormal in which the female MC had bigger things to consider than 'which of these two hot boys, one normal, one supernatural, do I like best?'
One where the MC has responsibilities to consider. Maybe having a child will make her think twice about Stalkerboy. Maybe having to find childcare will make it harder to kill vampires.
I think if you've got an idea, go with it. Write the story you want to write, then figure out what category it goes in.
And if you do an honest and thoughtful job, you can avoid both glorifying and bashing. (Is the baby the devil's spawn?)

This. All of this. Also, trying to find a babysitter while you have to go stake vamps? LOL. awesome.

badlandz · Jan 21, 2012

lemonhead said:
Here's my take. I think it stops being ya at that point, regardless of her age.

I'd agree with that. If it's about paranormal, then it might not really be YA, regardless of age.

My first thought was Dark Water (movie) where I could totally picture it as a much younger MC teen mom rather than divorced woman in a custody dispute.

I could see paranormal being able to use the elements of youth, uneducated world views, hormonal changes of pregnancy, and all that to tie in somehow to an ability to see/feel/hear whatever.

Can it be written without focusing on trying to be YA? If so, then I'd not worry so much about glorifying teen pregnancy. Then it's just something that is there, it happens, a believable element.

There was another comment too, about "does she have time for this?" that I would be careful about. Not because of the idea you're setting a bad example for teen moms about priorities. More because it might detract from how believable it would be.

Missus Akasha · Jan 21, 2012

This is definitely an interesting topic and I have a lot of things to consider. However, I wasn't looking for reasons as to why the book would not be considered YA because if that was the case then why is Breaking Dawn, apart of the Twilight series, still considered YA if Bella gets married and pregnant when she is eighteen years old? Once you get married, you are considered an adult then why is that particular book still marketed within the YA genre?

I don't want to sponge off of Teen Mom's popularity (I am actually not a fan of the show) or anything. The idea just came to me suddenly and I thought it would be very interesting to explore it.

I have several friends who were teen moms. Even some of my family members were teen moms. A child is no doubt a full-time job, but I don't think that means you can't have a life nor does that mean if you did manage to have a life away from your child that it wouldn't be hard work balancing parenthood and being your own person.

I just simply thought that because my character is an eighteen-year-old starting her senior year that the book would meet the requirements of a YA book.

Frimble3, when my main character was a junior, she hit it off with this guy, who is actually a powerful demon. She didn't know that he was a demon, of course, but her kid is half-demon who will begin to reach her full potential once she was one years old. At the moment, she is only 10 months old.

Elysium · Jan 21, 2012

Missus Akasha said:
Frimble3, when my main character was a junior, she hit it off with this guy, who is actually a powerful demon. She didn't know that he was a demon, of course, but her kid is half-demon who will begin to reach her full potential once she was one years old. At the moment, she is only 10 months old.

I would read this.

So PLEASE write it.

dolores haze · Jan 21, 2012

I read the premise and got an instant picture of a frazzled-looking teenager with an adorable baby strapped to her back, carrying an diaper bag in one hand and a ridiculously large weapon in the other. Don't know much about YA or the marketability of the premise, but being able to sell it will probably depend on how well you write it. Best of luck!

badlandz · Jan 21, 2012

Hmm. I guess I just disagree, and accept that it's only my POV. To me, the whole Demon Child thing has been done so many times, in so many stages, from born and the baby thing, to they find out when the child is a teen, to the demon child as a young adult and how they use the powers...

Your's sounds more like the Rosemary's Baby variety? And, I guess I'm just not seeing where the YA component is in any way dominate.

But, I think it's only my POV, because YA to me is about YA issues, not trying to target a young audience. Which is why I even disagree that any of the Twilight stuff was YA, and more about paranormal, just with a young audience in mind.

Anyway, sure, I think the general idea isn't a problem at all. I think you should write it. I was only saying I think I wouldn't put it in the YA category to start with, so I wouldn't worry at all about glorifying teen moms.

Missus Akasha · Jan 21, 2012

badlandz said:
Hmm. I guess I just disagree, and accept that it's only my POV. To me, the whole Demon Child thing has been done so many times, in so many stages, from born and the baby thing, to they find out when the child is a teen, to the demon child as a young adult and how they use the powers...

Your's sounds more like the Rosemary's Baby variety? And, I guess I'm just not seeing where the YA component is in any way dominate.

But, I think it's only my POV, because YA to me is about YA issues, not trying to target a young audience. Which is why I even disagree that any of the Twilight stuff was YA, and more about paranormal, just with a young audience in mind.

Anyway, sure, I think the general idea isn't a problem at all. I think you should write it. I was only saying I think I wouldn't put it in the YA category to start with, so I wouldn't worry at all about glorifying teen moms.

It does have some resemblance to Rosemary's Baby except the kid is rather adorable and doesn't look like a lizard child,l ol. However, I just assumed that because my character is an eighteen-year-old teen mom who is starting out her senior year of highschool would qualify as YA fiction because at the end of the day, she is still a teen trying to find herself even if she has a kid of her own.

But the Twilight series is in young adult paranormal genre. That is how it is marketed. Maybe if Bella was in college then I would understand why it would be marketed with a younger audience in mind, but Bella is still in highschool while most of the supporting characters are in highschool therefore that is viewed to be young adult fiction.

lemonhead · Jan 21, 2012

I guess because this was in ya section, the genre comes into play.

Also twilight was ya...the first book. Ya paranormal romance straight up. The last book is where you have wedding and a baby and by then it was not limited by the genre, it was so big it didn't matter. You will have a hard time *selling* a first book like that. But if you don't care about selling, you dont have to worry about genre conflicts

Single teen moms in paranormal fiction

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