Babies Raising Babies: How Can Young Couples Prepare Their Children For School?

Many educators are frustrated with todays young preschoolers and kindergarteners who come to school without the basic foundation that would enable them to participate in class. They don't recognize their own name, written or spoken (the family calls them by a nickname). They can't tie their shoes; they are barely potty trained and may have accidents; they can't sit still and listen for more than five minutes before they are up and running around; they are defiant when given a command by the teacher; and they use inappropriate language (curse words and vulgarities they learned at home.) This is the result of teen pregnancies and babies raising babies. We are paying the rice for inexperienced mothers and fathers. It's not enough to talk about how disruptive their children are in classrooms. We need to get involved and change the situation before the disruptive preschooler becomes an inmate in a juvenile detention center. How do you mentor a young parent and help them raise a better behaved child?