Sleepless in Oakland

I regularly wake up a few times during the night. But tonight (or should I say, this morning), I'm having trouble getting back to sleep. So I figured I'd get up for awhile, then try going back to sleep again.

For some odd reason, I feel compelled to write an essay (or perhaps a diatribe) on the recently announced pregancy of 16 year-old Jamie-Lynn Spears. While experience tells me that I can never fully predict outcomes, this just seems likely to end badly.

I have mixed feelings about this...I'm pro-responsibility & this smacks of both irresponsibility (getting pregnant, although it's important to note she was not the only party involved in this) and responsibility (having the baby). Some of these feelings are from my personal experience (as it's likely my birth mother was in a similar predicament). To be clear, I'm not wild about any pregancy termination (as it's hard to get past my own situation), yet support "choice". Sometimes it's hard to tell if being responsible means you go through with having the child or terminating the pregnancy.

Yet, keeping & raising the baby seems like a tall order. With the crush of the media spotlight, it's hard to imagine how her every step (and mistake) won't end up as talk show fodder. That same media spotlight would seem to make it impossible for her to quietly have the baby & put it up for adoption. One good thing is that she'll be doing this back in her native Louisiana (rather than LA). And (at least for now), I expect her mother will be helping out (although some might question her mother's track record in this area). One thing is for sure...until Jamie-Lynn's older sister (Britney) straightens out her life, I'd avoid asking her to babysit.

Bottom line: I wish her (and more importantly her child) all the best.

Wow...I feel a bit like a conflicted right-wing talk radio show host. Who knew???

Time to attempt a nap. Pleasant dreams to all...including me!