Media Advisory: Dr. Lorraine Blackman, associate professor at Indiana University School of Social Work, located on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus, is available for interviews on the issue of children being born to unwed parents.
Newswise — Many may have been surprised by an Indiana Black Expo report detailing how nearly eight in 10 black children in Indiana are born to unwed parents.
Dr. Lorraine Blackman, who holds a doctorate in social work, wasn't among them. It is a situation she has been studying and Blackman knows all too well the consequences behind the headlines and numbers. Blackman specializes in family life education and in shaping social policies to help families function better.
The untold story is that white children born to unwed moms face challenges similar to those of black children of unwed moms, Blackman says. Recent statistics show there are 1.4 million whites living in poverty in Indiana with 208,000 white mothers in homes without a husband.
Blackman and her students on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus created a series of prevention and coping tips for parents, adolescents (10 years and up), single parents, and community leaders to address the issue.
To prevent out-of-wedlock births among their children, parents, for example, should talk to their children openly about human sexuality and take parenting as well as healthy marriage classes. "The general public likes to think its fine to wait until they are 16 and then talk to them about sex," Blackman said. "The news is we've got to do it earlier."
Plus, all parents should take parenting classes, because, "Children don't come with instructions," she added. Children who grow up with both of their biological parents are at less risk of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, poverty, and a host of other social problems. So, parents who learn how to keep their own marriages healthy serve their children well.
Adolescents need to focus on a plan for the lives to help them understand that having children early can be an impediment to "living out their life dreams," Blackman said. In preparation for their adult lives, adolescents should learn as much as possible about mate selection, healthy family living, managing family finances, and family planning.
Tips for single mothers include preventing future pregnancies. Research shows that once a woman has an unplanned pregnancy, she is likely to have another one in 9 to 12 months, Blackman said.
Community leaders need to review existing policies and laws so they don't discourage people from getting married. Under existing rules, couples that marry might find they lose certain benefits like food stamps if they are married.
For Blackman's list of tips to prevent or address problems related to out-of-wedlock births, go to: http://info.iupui.edu/news/page/normal/3436.html .
Beyond tips, Blackman points out there is a wealth of information and programs already in place to guide people through family life issues. The Central Indiana Human Services Database - http://www.imcpl.org/cgi-bin/irntop.pl-- lists scores of programs able to assist people on issues from family planning, parenting classes to father resources.
Blackman's teaching, research and service are primarily focused on strengthening families to provide for the functional and emotional needs of their members across the lifespan. A related focus is on shaping social policies to facilitate family functioning. See http://www.aafle.org for further information about Blackman's work.
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