OK! Magazine has posted more photos of their exclusive photoshoot with 17 year-old Jamie Lynn holding little baby Maddie and rocking that overly-frosted hair and bad makeup. In the quotes they include with the photos, Jamie Lynn says things like “I love taking care of her. It is so much fun. I just want to hug her and kiss her, and I’m happy all the time.”
A lot of you posed the question whether the positive press surrounding Jamie Lynn’s pregnancy set a dangerous precedent and glorified teen pregnancy. There was that story with all the teens getting pregnant in the small town of Glouchester, Massacusetts that caused a lot of uproar. At least some of the teen moms admitted to the National Enquirer that they were influenced by young stars like Jamie Lynn and Nicole Richie having cute babies and making it seem easy.
This didn’t seem like such an issue to me when I read the earlier excerpts from the OK! interview. Jamie Lynn said she took parenting courses and she admitted that Maddie gets up every few hours to feed at night, but said she doesn’t cry much and is a good baby. She got her GED before she had the baby and it sounds like she’s trying to be a responsible mom and be there for her child.
Now that I see she’s saying stuff like “it is so much fun” to care for a newborn it does give me pause. There’s no way I would describe caring for a new baby as “fun.” “Fulfilling,” maybe, but it’s possible Jamie Lynn lacks the vocabulary to explain how she’s feeling exactly, or maybe she really does think it’s great fun. She says she’s “happy all the time.” I was crying my eyes out for the first few weeks, but I definitely had postpartum depression. It’s great that Jamie Lynn is happy with her baby and all, but fun takes on a completely different meaning once you have a baby. Fun happens on the child’s schedule, not yours. You wonder if young girls are grasping that when they see Jamie Lynn and her sweet infant. She even said “I had a perfect pregnancy and a perfect delivery. I was very blessed.”
Life isn’t so perfect for the average teen mother who might not get to finish high school and could be struggling for the rest of her life to support a child, both financially and emotionally.
Jamie Lynn also says that her boyfriend Casey was great with Maddie right from the start, and “It was amazing. Guys are always a little awkward, and he was perfect with her.” How many times can she use the word “perfect?”
One thing Jamie Lynn does that makes her life a lot easier with a new baby is have her sleep right in the same room in a bassinet. That definitely helps you get more sleep when they’re little and may be contributing to Jamie Lynn’s great mood. That and the million dollars she got paid to say how wonderful her life is.
The header image is slightly disturbing to me. The girl may be a mom, but she’s just 17 and they didn’t have to pose her in lingerie like that.
For more photos of Jamie Lynn and Maddie, including the baby’s nursery, check out OK! Magazine’s website.
Teen pregnancy used ot be normal. The only thing that can be bad about it is the maturity level at that age is not what it used ot be, and the fact that the male in the situation usually high-tails it afterward whereas in the past he had to stay to provide for the family he created. Then again- highschool wasnt around back then nor college, either, so …
Unless you got some wealthy and eager grandparents (or your 18 yr old boyfriend is already paid handsomely) to take on your kid you cant expect an easy life with a baby at that young age.
I thought those ruched window blinds went out in 1989……
They look like they are “playing house.” The coffee prop is ridiculous, given their ages. I think they are trying to paint a sunny picture that can’t possibly be true, but will seem compelling to some lonely teen girls who just want someone to love. There will be babies from this. My 14 yo daughter is taken with the images portrayed and she’s a pretty level-headed girl for her age.
That boy looks so uncomfortable. Plus, he is not attractive in the least bit. I suppose the reason why it’s fun and easy is because she has the money to not worry about where the diapers will come from next.
I feel bad for her. Of course they’re going to criticise her for glorifying teen pregnancy. But they’d probably also criticise her if she’d had an abortion and the news somehow got out.
What is she SUPPOSED to say? “I hate being a mom and I’m miserable all the time”? Yah right, this is a GOOD thing that she has positive things to say, and she’s in a financial position to take care of her baby. If she causes other teens to have babies, it’s their parent’s fault, not hers.
Yes, having a child in your teens was the norm – until about 50-60 years ago, when women started going to college, working outside the home and putting off marriage until their twenties. And when it was the norm, it was because it was customary for girls to graduate high school, get married, and have their first child, all in a matter of 2 or 3 years. But girls/women and boys/men were different then. You could raise a family on a single income. There weren’t as many obstacles to success as there are today. And now it’s just not considered a good choice to have a baby in your teenage years. The circumstances are different, times are tougher, and the reasons why girls have babies as teenagers are completely different from the reasons why my great-grandmother had my grandmother at 17. And, hundreds of years ago, it was necessary to start having children at a young age, because you needed to have LOTS of kids, and the maternal death rate was so high. So, you can’t just say that having a baby at 17 or 18 used to be the way it was without accounting for WHY it was that way, and WHY it’s not that way any more.
Jamie Lynn may not be glorifying teenage pregnancy, but she’s certainly not painting a true picture of what pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period are really like for most mothers, regardless of their age. And if young girls do look up to her, then it is her responsibility to tell them the truth.
Also, since she had her baby in Kentucky, that’s probably where she had her hair done, as opposed to L.A.. I’m just saying.
This is just a bunch of PR crap they have to say to sell magazines.
Jamie is in the ‘honeymoon phase’ right now. In a few months of no freedom, teething, etc. Eventually she will wake up and smell the dirty diapers.
OMG people. This is OK! Magazine where life is all pink and rosy and germ-free and fantasy-filled and reality doesn’t get a look-in. What were you all expecting?? A tearful, dramatic denouncement of teenage motherhood and how awful it all is and how she’s filled with regret and cries herself to sleep (when she manages to get any) every night??
The pics alone should alert everyone as to how much ‘truth’ was likely to be on offer here. Blame the mag (and possibly Lynne Spears), not JL.
You’re right geronimo – we should consider the source.
Good point Geronimo! These are her direct quotes, though. Maybe she was told to be positive ahead of time.
Yeah… not to mention the cheesy picture of the happy family in a *kitchen* with fresh coffee and muffins on the counter.
🙄
I feel she would have been coached every inch of the way. OK! doesn’t do unpleasantness!
Also, Lynne wouldn’t want her coming across as anything less than a shining example of motherhood, not to mention a reflection of her own mothering skills…
Possibly she’s just trying to put a good spin on a bad situation? Like, be optimistic, or something?
I didn’t care so much for the photography either – that kitchen thing with the mug and two muffins is so fake. I didn’t really see much wrong with her sitting on the bed in lingerie, though, it shows less of her than most of her clothes do – and certainly is more modest than Aunt Brit’s clothing.
The baby is adorable. Love the babies!
I guess I’m just wondering why it’s OK for Jessica Alba to sit there and call her baby a miracle and all that, but JamieLynn is supposed to say “I hate this and I’m not cut out for it and I should never have gotten pregnant”. Double standards.
I think less of Jessica Alba because of all the rumors that she got knocked up just to keep Cash, while JamieLynn really, truely had an accident (presumably) and went with it. Trying to keep a man is no reason to get pregnant (I know, it may not even be true, but the rumors are certainly believable considering Cash and JA WERE broken up before the baby).
Maybe she could have mentioned that having a fat income/residuals (whatever) certainly plays a big part in her cushy circumstances in being a mom. Teen pregnancy is not a good thing, period. There is such a thing as maturity, which certainly helps in bringing up baby, and such mags as OK! knocking on the door wanting to pay for pics/interview would definitely ease the way financially. But, guess what? Nobody but celebs even have that possibility in their lives.
50-60 years ago there was no such thing as birth control, which gives women actual control over reproduction. It gives women the freedom to decide if and when they become pregnant. Before that, it was the luck of the draw. There were more shotgun weddings pre-Pill than anyone cares to admit, and both parents cast their own dreams to the wayside in order to do the “right thing” back then. It was a different world and women married their baby’s daddies because it was scandalous not to. Yes, love grew out of many such unions over time, but it took work and sacrifice. What is JL sacrificing? Nothing. She’s being rewarded every step of the way for her “brave” decision to not use birth control. BS.
If I had millions, no need to work, could buy anything I wanted for my newborn… hell yeah it would be fun all the time!
I wouldn’t say that Jamie Lynn is glorifying teen pregnancy, OK MAGAZINE is the one doing it. They are the ones printing and editing the material, she’s just taking the money. Put in the same situation I’m pretty sure thats what most people would do! I do believe that babies are miracles and that it should be a joyous occasion when any baby is born, but I’m getting really burnt out on all the celebrity baby stuff, it kind of makes it seem like its “out” for regular people to have babies, kind of sad if you ask me.
that photo of them in the kitchen is phonier than photos of bigfoot! awesome…love it.
I noticed there’s a coffee pot on the counter. It may be just a prop, but aren’t pregnant woman not supposed to drink coffee?
Other than that I think she’s doing a fine job. It’s clear she cares for her baby, whether it’s ‘fun’ or not, which is a lot more than I can say for Britney.
She’s not pregnant anymore, Izzy, but even if she were, you are allowed a cup or two a day, especially if you drank it regularly before you got pregnant.
Also, I registered for the blue & green verson of that bouncer they have on the counter (I know it’s for the picture, but I sure as hell hope they don’t normally keep a bouncer on the counter!).
It is absolutely shameful of OK Magazine to portray teen pregnancy/motherhood in this way.
You bet your ass there are teenage girls out there looking at this fantasy bullshit saying “If she can do it, I can do it too.”
And to the people who say it’s the parent’s fault if their teenage daughter gets pregnant: you better wake the fuck up. Teens are going to have sex NO MATTER WHAT their parents do. If a teenage girl gets pregnant, it is no one’s fault but she and whomever impregnated her.
If Jaime Spears were as level headed as people say she is, she wouldn’t have gotten pregnant in the first place!
OK. The girl made a decision to have some teen sexy times and is now living with the consequences. What, is she supposed to be all depressed so that way she isn’t “glorifying” teen mommys? What a great influence THAT would be to this child. If she is making the best out of her situation and can put a smile on her face, then she is off to a good start. Yeah, she should have closed her underage legs and yeah, we shouldn’t glorify teen pregnancy, but give the poor kid a break. She has enough on her plate…
Melissa, how do you do the bold type in your comments?
She’s damned if she does, and she’s damned if she doesn’t, huh? That’s sure what it sounds like to me.
No, she certainly should not have gotten pregnant at her age. But, she did. I applauded her for not taking the easy way out and aborting her child. Even with her money, that cannot have been an easy choice.
But, what is done is done. She has this baby to care for, and I think it’s great that she’s having fun as a new mom. What is she supposed to do…wear a scarlet “A” around her neck for the rest of her life? While I am against having children out of wedlock, I think the girl is doing the best she can and is fortunate to have the resources that she does, so she can enjoy motherhood. And I’m glad that the father is sticking around and taking part in her care, as well.
Let’s put down a teenager for having a baby!!!
Geez it would be so much better if she were at least in her 20’s so she could pop the kid out and dump it at a daycare for 9+ hours and have someone else can raise them while she returns to work to pursue her career!!
I think that *her* pregnancy is glorified. The only reason that I can imageine it would be wonderful is that she has money, and can afford plenty for that child, or that she has enough help to take the baby when she doesn’t want to deal with it.
If she was a normal person, with average income, I am sure that her story would be different. And I think that is what teen girls don’t get..
babies are exprensive! Diapers, doctor visits, clothes they grow out of in a week, food, medicine, toys. The list goes on and on, and that is at least an 18 year committment, not just some fad that you can toss off.
I’m sorry, but can someone explain to me how having an abortion is taking “the easy way out?” Granted, there might not be a baby to take care of, but there are serious emotional and psychological issues at play when a women chooses to terminate a pregnancy. And it’s often the right decision. Having the baby may not always be. It’s up to the woman to decide. So saying that someone should be applauded for making the “right” decision by keeping a baby is a slap in the face to the many women out there who chose to terminate because it was the right thing to do for them.
Why shouldn’t she have a baby at her age? Geesh. It’s normal. She probably makes a better parent because she’s still young enough not to overly interfere with the baby! Leave her alone. Having a baby is always a positive, happy occasion. Killjoys!
Why shouldn’t she have a baby at her age? Geesh. It’s normal.
No its not normal. As several people have stated, it may have been 60 years ago, but not any more.
I don’t think she is glorifying teen pregnancy anymore than Nicole Ritchie (& ALL the rest in Hollywood) glorifys unwed mothers. I mean, it sure does help that JL & NR are loaded, but it is still a hard gig
“Happy all the time”.
What a crock of donkey dung.
Yes, this is reckless bullsquash that misleads teenagers big time.
Raising a baby is exhausting.
And being a teenage mom is a drag.
JaimeLynn shouldn’t be every teens sole source of information on pregnancy and motherhood. If parents are responsible, then teen girls should understand the difference between JL’s situation and their own.
I think JL’s positivity, even if contrived, is a good thing. This little girl is going to be lucky to find these statements from her mother someday.
Kolby: when is your baby due? Congrats!
About “having fun all the time” I gotta defend her. I have a 4 month old and think it’s a blast. I just got lucky with an easy baby (so far anyway…) I don’t have to go to work and that makes a huge huge difference right there. I’m sure if JL had to be in the office from 9-5 it wouldn’t be “fun all the time”.
@ Izzy: ..”Shouldn’t pregnant women not have coffee?” Myth. My OBGYN said in moderation, 1-2 cups was fine. True, if someone is worried about miscarriage (and has a history, etc) they are smart to just avoid caffeine altogether as a link has been discovered- but for excessive caffeine. Anyway, she isn’t prego anymore but she could be nursing. If so, best to avoid it.
I love the stiffness in these pics.
Trust me, when I had mine I did not mawkishly hold my baby out at arms length and gaze at him, eyes lowered demurely and wear all white for effect. Then again, this is a photo shoot. Do we want to see stained gear and the mess of reality? Nope. So these are fine.
It could possibly mislead some kids and make them think it would be fun and romantic to play house and that is what is alarming.
These pics look just like Britney’s when she had the babies….so happy, and coffee and muffins too….and things have gone so well for her!
Tick Tock Tick Tock……………
Seems to me like she is making the most out of an unforntunate situation. Is she supposed to be sitting around crying all day because she is 17 and now has a baby to raise. No, she is a mother now and it is time to grow up. I don’t see how that is glamorizing teen pregnancy. When Jamie is at home taking care of her baby her friends will be doing things that teenagers do like going to football games, high school dances, etc. She will be missing out on a lot and I am sure she realizes that.
It’s a cry for attention. She will never get attention through a real accomplishment, so this is the best she can do. Very sad, for a girl her age to realize she will never amount to anything and never accomplish anything other than the notoriety she can get from breeding. I pity the whole disfunctional family.
I wasn’t allowed to drink coffee at 17. Although it was never discussed, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t allowed to have a baby either.
AIDS-AIDS-AIDS-AIDS-AIDS DAMMIT !!!!!! Who cares about a that??? Did any one of you say she did not protect herself against a STD???? Damn!! You wonder why heteros are the fastest growing group? Bottom line is she and the boy are dumb.
so what?!! What is she supposed to do be depressed all the time and hold on to all the pain she’s been through? Why not let her get on with her life and let her enjoy being a mommy!! SHE’S NOT GLORIFYING IT…THE MEDIA IS!!!
Benny…I got pregnant at 15. No sex ed in school. I went through with the pregnancy and finished high school on time. I am now a nurse and my son is now going into second grade. Why is it that people assume that just because you became pregnant your seeking attention or will be on welfare??!! All my friends that have had kids in high school and are all very successful and graduated high school! Shame on you for stereotyping and for being so ignorant:evil: !!!
She’s rich she can support this child problem is all the girls who don’t have anything that will see this and think this will be their life. Sorry you aren’t going to be in OK! and you aren’t going to be on TV because you decide to have a child before you can even legally vote. You will have to be an adult when you are still a kid though no turning back. If you don’t mind that than it is your life otherwise use protection.
Hope she doesn’t go off her rocker when she realizes kids are a job like her big sister. I really hope she’ll do better as a Mom for the child’s sake!
Elisha, Bodhi and Daisy needs to gain a life! Yop I said it! Ain’t nobody gonna do nothing about it but retaliate with a stupid comment! 😛
pshhhh worry not, friends.
my circle of dedicated feminazis has been hoarding/banking precious eggs for decades. we’re making human evolution proud. and john stamos gets ’em all.
😈
Well…what I would have liked to see her do is put the baby up for a closed adoption to a two-parent home. A family made up of mature parents who wanted the child and who had the ability to provide a healthy life for her would be far superior to the situation as it is.
Since that didn’t happen and since everyone thinks being a single mom is A-OK nowadays and everyone lionizes couples who refuse to marry and give their children a semblance of respect and stability…but I digress
Anyway, she didn’t take the easy way out with aborting(and, yes terminating your pregnancy IS the easy way out no matter how you prattle on about emotional hardship to make yourself feel better about what you did), the father is sticking around for the moment, and the extended family, albeit a bit off-center, is interested and loving toward the child. It very well could turn out just fine for this little baby girl. Stranger things happen all the time.
Regardless of how it all boils down, this situatation will be no more or less tragic than any 17 year-old giving birth. Money may mean that no one ever has to put the baby in Luvs (gasp), but being rich and famous can’t shield this young woman from the string of choices she made that led her (and now her baby) to this point. I hope she’s telling the truth when she claims to be happy because this mom thing lasts more years than Miss Spears has spent on the earth, herself, thus far.
There are reasons that people do things in a traditional order: childhood, education, higher education, marriage, parenthood. This order of events, when followed, provides a smoother course in life, reduces poverty, and puts a woman in a position of power rather than one in which she is just a victim of circumstance…reacting, always, to the consequence of her latest choice instead of paving out her life with all options open and opportunities available.
As to parenting…I wasn’t allowed to read tabloids when I was 17 (1992), and I was parented in such a way that when my parents said, “you can’t do that,” I didn’t do it.
Any teen mothers who claim they got their encouragement and moral code from an article in OK! magazine have mothers of their own with a LOT to answer for, in my view.
Anyone in their right state of mind,knows these photos are fantasy.And she is getting paid for it!If they paid me a million dollars to hold a black cup of coffee,and smile like a politician,i would!There is a BIG difference, she is RICH and she can afford to take care of her baby!She will have nannies,and other things!Just tell your teenagers that!If anyone hasn’t sat down and told their Kids magazines are Phony,phony,phony!Then they are dumb,dumb,dumb!Ohh yeah men and women wear makeup in Movies!And go on starvation diets,and massive personal training workouts before a film!OMG,did i surprise everyone 😯 !??I agree with Linda up above,it’s alot better then haveing them in your 20’s and then dropping them off at a daycare for nine + hours,and letting someone else raise your kids!For your career!!I mean this chick can afford her baby,has a career,leave her alone!
Re: All the comments about coffee.
For pity’s sake, people! Is coffee the new heroin? I was drinking it in high school. Geeze, lighten up. As other comments have pointed out, pregnant women can even have a cup or two per day.
Also, it could be decaf… haven’t any of you heard of decaf coffee???
Who wrote this? Because they are just awful, why are you trying to come down on a new mother enjoying her baby? I was a teen mother and had my daughter when I was 17 and I loved every minute of it! Who’s to say she isn’t happy? Leave her alone so she can enjoy her beautiful baby!
Jamie Lynn Spears is the perfect example of life imitating art and children pretending to be something they are not. She is a child.She is. She lacks knowledge and education, most of all maturity. I thought after witnessing all the mistakes of her trainwreck of a sister, she might be wiser. I guess not. I seriously doubt she will take responsibility of this baby. That will be up to the grandmother(surely not Lynne, THE OTHER ONE) AND HIRED HELP.This girl will tire of all of this very,very soon.
Wow, who are we to judge her.. I am sick of hearing that it is the parents fault. We teach our children to have morals and wether they take them its there decision. She has good parents and because of her parents she will be a good parent whether she is a teenager or not. Back in the old days they had children at 13 years old. Yes, she should have been more responsible and used protection but it happened and you all need to get over it. Maddie is here and she will have a good life and good parent and grandparents. The only reason you all have a cow is because she is in the public eye. Sometime people make the wrong decisions but in Gods eyes He wanted Maddie to be born so who are we to judge. This shouldn’t make all the teenagers want to have babies… Teenagers know it is hard to be parents so if they decide to have children at a young age then so be it, they will learn quick that it isn’t easy. Other people cant make you do anything.. you make that choice. Stop playing the blame game. And by the way, leave Britney alone too, she is just an ordinary person who is trying to get through life just like we all are.. she just has a celebrity status. Everybody needs to leave there family alone. oh, I would still let my kids watch her on T.V. And if my child ends up in the same situation, (which I pray to the Lord above that He guides her to make the right choice and that she waits till marraige)it wouldn’t be because of Jamie Lynn.
“admitted to the National Enquirer that they were influenced by young stars like Jamie Lynn and Nicole Richie having cute babies and making it seem easy.”
==================================
that is the stupidest thing i’ve ever heard…these high school girls are old enough to make their own decisions…mentioning spears and ritchie and how they make it look “easy” is a cop out for them not having safe sex….these are teenage girls, not little 8 or 9 year olds..these girls are perfectly capable of controlling their lives and making decisions they think are right..
…anyways i don’t see anything wrong with jamie lynn saying it’s “fun”.. when I had my son ( at age 16 😯 ), It was loads of fun..watching him smile, and coo, even when he pooped and made strange faces while doing so..it’s load of fun…obviously when u have a baby who stays up late nights and cries all the time, it won’t be much fun…so i don’t know i’m over this whole “jamie lynn being a teen mother and people are glorifying it”….it happened and happens all the time…I could just imagine the ruthless headlines if she had given up the baby for adoption. but anyways that is her life. she is having fun and enjoying motherhood..like all mothers should 😀
Are you kidding, with people my age, it’s the exact opposite! To us 15 year olds, she is nothing but a joke and it makes us glad that WE aren’t pregnant.