In a couple of weeks, MTV will start airing their new documentary series, "Teen Mom." A follow-up to the hit "16 and Pregnant," this new show takes you back into the lives of four of the original "16 and Pregnant" girls -- Maci, Amber, Catelynn, and Farrah -- for their first year of teen motherhood, asking whether you can live like a teenager once you've become a parent.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first heard that MTV -- the network that arguably started the reality TV craze with "The Real World" nearly a generation ago, and is now known for launching the careers of Lauren Conrad and Spencer Pratt -- was planning a documentary-style series on pregnant and parenting teenagers. After watching the initial six-episode run of "16 and Pregnant," I know one thing... I'm hooked and I'm going to watch every single episode of "Teen Mom."

Have you been watching the new documentary series "16 and Pregnant" on MTV? I have and I think it's great. But I'm a 31-year-old man -- hardly MTV's demographic -- so you probably don't care what I think.  Instead, I've asked one of the wonderful teens with whom we work, Avery from Chevy Chase, MD, with to share some of her thoughts on the show. Here's what she had to say:

The title of MTV's new show, "16 and Pregnant," is pretty self-explanatory. The show shares the personal stories of teenage girls who are dealing with pregnancy and parents. Despite the fact that they all have teen pregnancy in common, each of the girls we've met so far - Maci from Tennessee, Farrah from Iowa, and Amber from Indiana - have completely different lives and interests. However, each of the girls starts out saying that she will keep her life nearly the same as her pre-pregnancy existence once she has her baby. Not surprisingly, conflicts immediately arise. The main issues stem from the teens' desire to maintain some, if not all, of their pre-baby priorities and the strain it puts on their relationships.

Last night, MTV premiered "Pedro," a story about his life and a chronicle of his efforts to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS. President Bill Clinton famously called him to tell him how much his efforts meant and that "the country owed him a lot." His eventual death was probably the first time that many young people actually felt that someone they knew and cared about died from a disease that carried a lot of myths, misperceptions and huge stigma.

Such is the power of TV--especially reality TV. We all know in our heads that reality TV isn't real. We know people exaggerate their behavior to get more air time and that they're all competing for their 15 minutes.

But in our hearts we do get attached to these people. We start to care about them in spite of ourselves, and that's why we keep watching. A lot has changed since 1994, when Pedro and his Real World housemates were early pioneers of the entire reality TV phenomenon. But what he did in his short life, what he meant to viewers and what he taught them about living with HIV continues to mean something to real live teens. He proved that someone on TV really can reach through the screen and change lives.

Today, half of all sexually-active young people will contract an STD by age 25--and most won't know it. That's why last night's premiere of "Pedro" kicked off STD Awareness Month, and GYT: Get Yourself Tested, a new public awareness campaign from MTV, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. GYT is an extension of MTV and Kaiser's "It's Your (Sex) Life" partnership to promote responsible decision making about sex. Check out their newly revamped web site, watch the movie on MTV, and tell us what you think.

Monday night's Gossip Girl was just as steamy and scandalous as expected. However, one of the biggest 'OMG' moments of the show was when Lily van der Woodsen pulled out one page of her "list," an extensive inventory of every man she's dated (in perfect cursive, probably on personalized Kate Spade stationary, no doubt). Her current beau, Rufus Humphrey, gasps and then lets out a sigh of relief that there weren't even more notches on her bedpost. Little does he know (or at least not until later in the episode) that another double columned piece of stationary is still hidden in her purse.

How many is too many? Is it possible to have too few? Does it even matter?

I have heard a girl friend groan, "Ugh, can not believe I'm up to number 5 already. I'm only 20!" since due to some complicated algorithm, she could predict that her "number" will have entered the double digits by her desired engagement age of 26, and that is just unacceptable. A double digit number would render her unsuitable for marriage and ensure her a lifetime full of sympathetic looks, dinners for one and of course, cats.

Sadly, more people probably heard Jon Hamm talk about Mad Men, the fantastic AMC series he stars in, on Saturday Night Live than actually watch the series itself. But, the fortunate 2 million or so viewers who caught the season finale last night got great drama and a great history lesson about a time when we were at the brink of a missile crisis, people smoked and drank in the office, and women's roles and options were a lot different than they are today.

The show also had a key theme about unplanned pregnancy among adults—something that is not as well understood or as much talked about as teen pregnancy.  Without giving it away for the millions who did not see it*, two of the characters remind us that unplanned pregnancy can happen to anyone and that once someone gets pregnant when they weren't planning to, there is no easy path. I don't know what the number was in the early 1960s, but today, 3 million women—and men—experience an unplanned pregnancy each year. Some are welcomed and wanted, but many are not and result in considerable real life drama for those involved.

*Read a recap of the finale or find out where you can watch the whole episode On Demand.

Two of my favorite things will be together in one place tonight -- a teen pregnancy prevention ad is scheduled to run during Gossip Girl!  (Actually it's three of my favorite things -- tonight's GG is directed by Vondie Curtis Hall -- an original Broadway cast member from my all-time favorite show, Dreamgirls, but I digress...)  Anyway, if you're not already watching Gossip Girl for the fashions, intrigue and hilarity, you should at least tune in tonight to see the PSA.  

It comes from our friends at the Candie's Foundation -- longtime allies in the fight to keep teens from getting pregnant.  Perhaps you saw their big print ad in today's New York Times.  It's always good to see some of the startling statistics associated with teen pregnancy laid out in black and white (and pink).  Such as the fact that 3 in 10 girls in the U.S. will get pregnant at least once before their 20th birthdays.  Or that fewer than half of teen moms ever graduate from high school.  It can happen to anyone -- any sexually active teenager who doesn't use protection, even one time, can get pregnant (or get someone pregnant).  It doesn't matter if you go to Constance Billiard or a big public high school, if you're the Queen B or a regular girl.  It doesn't even matter if your name is Chuck Bass.

xoxo

If you thought dealing with Jeff Conaway's addiction (not to mention his girlfriend) on "Celebrity Rehab" was a daunting task, wait until you see this. Dr. Drew is going to help teens and parents talk about sex.

"Sex...with Mom and Dad" premieres Monday on MTV. And not a moment too soon.

We hear it constantly from teens and young adults—parents have more influence over their kids' sex lives than anything else. Certainly more influence than parents themselves think they have, and also more influence than media, friends, school, religion or anything else for that matter. Which is good—if you have parents who know how to talk about sex, love, values, and relationships or who at least care enough to make sure the messages their kids get from them about these issues are rooted in self-respect and responsibility. But that's not always as easy as it sounds. After all, it can be hard to talk about this stuff—embarrassing, awkward, confusing. Parents may feel that they need to be experts (not true) or that their own past calls their authority into question (also not true). Kids may feel weird about these conversations (almost always true) and may resist a parent's efforts to start a discussion (you can bank on this one) or their own desire to have their questions answered. All of which can lead to misinformation, bad choices, family turmoil, and more.

So what can you do? Short of enlisting the expert advice of Dr. Drew Pinsky—not just a TV doc but an actual board certified, medical school-teaching, honest-to goodness physician, who incidentally has teenage children of his own—you can actually do quite a bit. We have some handy, dandy tips for parents to get you started. The most important thing is to remember that it's not The Talk - but rather a conversation that lasts a lifetime. Age-appropriate information about feelings and body parts, honest discussions about what's acceptable in your family (which is often very different than what's acceptable in Hollywood or even among peers), and wide-ranging conversations about dreams for the future (and what would stand in the way of those dreams, like say too-early parenthood for example) are important.

Tune in next Monday at 7p ET/PT. Let us know what you think.

On Day 2 of Bristol Baby Watch '08, we at the Campaign have collected some (we think) important resources....

First and foremost, our fearless leader Sarah Brown on this morning's Today Show:

Next up, info galore!  Click here for our one-stop-shop of fact sheets and resources related to teen pregnancy and Bristol Palin. 

I hear that NBC's "Baby Borrowers" is one of the biggest summer shows EVER. I have watched all the episodes now, each several times. I love it. Truly, madly deeply. I started watching because I had to (the Campaign developed discussion guides for the show though we had nothing to do with its basic premise or taping), but I am now a flat-out convert.

Tonight, NBC is airing a special follow up about the show, and because I am in this special (please do NOT watch my segment unless you promise to tell me that I looked 32....), I have now had extensive contact not only with the teen couples but also the "lender" parents and the show's wonderful creator, Richard McKerrow. Based on hours with all these people and others, I am more convinced than ever that this program is a force for good. It reveals in living color why teens are best advised to postpone parenthood—and it does so without being preachy or annoying. In particular, it shows how the stress of babies is overwhelms fragile teens relationships.

Shocking news bulletin: None of the couples are still together....

I also think that all the whining about how traumatic the experience of being "lent" was to the babies is not credible. Think babysitters. Think day care centers. Think, we went to NYC for the weekend but my sister took care of Baby Walter.... ALL the lender parents would do it again in a heartbeat.

I must also report that (1) there was more food backstage for the taping of this show that I saw at the last three weddings I attended combined, and (2) l loved the "hair and make-up" gig. I think they took 5 years off me...no small feat.

9 pm in the East. NBC. Tonight.

infoMania, a Current TV show that recaps each week's glut of online, print, and televised media, features a recurring segment written by and starring the brilliant Sarah Haskins. The Target Women series lampoons how media and marketing attempt to reach women. Having already taken on suffrage, yogurt, and botox, Haskins's most recent episode, Target Women: Birth Control, calls into question why ads for hormonal BC are all about period control and managing PMS symptoms and never about sex or preventing pregnancy.

Enjoy the video (and all of the other Target Women clips) and let us know what you think commercials about contraception should be saying.

The Baby Borrowers is back tonight - and this time the teen "parents" are caring for toddlers. 

Tune in to NBC tonight to find out who says "This is where they go running for the condom aisle!" and why. 

Episode 2 of the Baby Borrowers premiered last night (July 2) on NBC and was full of many more real life situations for the "parents" to deal with. 

After sleepless nights and busy days feeding, changing, and playing with their infants, two of the "moms" make unexpected requests to their boyfriends -- they want to go to work. And just as the pressure of maintaining a job, house, and family is really starting to build, the "parents" must say goodbye to their infants and get their first evaluation from the real moms and dads of their former babies.

What did you think of Episode 2?  If you missed it, visit the Baby Borrowers official site to watch clips and see interviews with the teen parents.  Then come back here and let us know  what you think on our brief online survey.

On June 25th, NBC premieres its riveting new reality show, The Baby Borrowers.  Over six intense, heartwarming, and hilarious episodes we see teen couples who think they're ready to have children, care for real, live babies, then toddlers, then tweens, then teenagers and finally senior citizens.  It's life in fast forward as they try to negotiate the challenges of parenting along with maintaining their relationships.  Unlike other reality shows - no one gets voted off here, no one is competing for a prize - the drama is the journey itself and the rewards are lessons learned about adult life. Learn more about the show at http://www.nbc.com/The_Baby_Borrowers/.

The Campaign has been lucky to work with NBC around the launch of this show, and we've collaborated with them on discussion guides for parents and teens who watch together and want to talk about it.  Please take the time to check out The Baby Borrowers on June 25th at 8PM ET/PT.  And let us know what you think about it!

Spoiler alert: There wasn't a dry eye in the house when we watched the final episode.

The lovely ladies of ABC's "The View" talked teen pregnancy on Thursday with actors from "One Life to Live" and The National Campaign's own Marisa Nightingale.  Kristen Alderson, who plays 16-year-old Starr Manning on the daytime drama, and Brandon Buddy, who plays her 17-year-old boyfriend Cole Thornhart, talked about their pregnancy storyline - what they've learned, the reaction they're getting from readers of their blog and how they hope its helping others deal with the challenges of teen sexuality.  Marisa contributed some excellent words of wisdom to the segment as well, encouraging parents to talk to their kids about sex and relationships. You can see the whole thing here.

Let mine be blogosphere comment 67 million regarding 15-year-old Miley Cyrus and the nude-but-covered photo of her that appears in the current issue of Vanity Fair. Three modest thoughts: 

1. A parent interviewed on Good Morning America this morning suggested that---I'm paraphrasing here---that the photo wasn't as bad as it could be...that you couldn't see the curve of Miley's back..that Annie Liebovitz is a respected photographer, etc.  Huh?  This is not a discussion about art and taste and nudity, this is a discussion about a 15-year-old girl who posed nude and the publication of that photo. 
2. The GMA segment went on to suggest that the Miley photo could serve as a teachable moment (now in the running as one of the most overused phrases of 2008).  What's the teachable moment here?  Fifteen year old girls shouldn't be asked to pose nude.  End of lesson. 
3. When this story broke yesterday about the Miley photo, the Vanity Fair website apparently crashed due to overwhelming traffic.  Remember people, it's not what they're selling, it's what you're buying.

Starr went to the clinic on Friday to have an abortion.  She's 16 and the situation is pretty bad.  She went by herself and despite putting on a brave face, she was terrified.  She can't have an abortion in Pennsylvania (where she lives) without her parents knowing so she rode a bike to the bus station and took the bus to a clinic in New Jersey.  Her parents don't even know she's had sex and they certainly don't know she's pregnant.  They've already forbidden her from seeing her boyfriend and her father even threatened to kill him.  As it turns out, she didn't go through with the abortion after all.  Moments before the procedure was to begin, her boyfriend showed up at the clinic...

Pretty dramatic stuff, huh?

Well it should be--it's a soap opera.  But "One Life to Live" is dealing with some very real-life issues in the story of 16-year-old Starr Manning's pregnancy.  And one thing that's been made quite clear to Starr, and by extension to her fans, is that once there's an unplanned pregnancy, none of the options are easy.

What hath Ian MacKaye wrought? 

As leader of the great and seminal (Don't believe me?  Look it up here and here) punk band Minor Threat, Ian wrote a song way back in 1981--I think Taft was President at the time--called "Straight Edge."  In the song he celebrates his own choice not to drink, smoke, or do drugs; his straight edge. 

Quite unintentionally, at least according to what MacKaye has said in the past, the song took on a life of its own and became a rallying cry for many young people nationwide.  Since then, the straight edge "movement" has taken on a life of its own and now means many things to many people.  Some in the abstinence movement have, apparently, even latched onto the straight edge concept.

Tonight, the National Geographic Channel premieres a documentary on adherents to the straight edge lifestyle.