Mom, Can I Watch Cartoons?

Look at your watch. Count the seconds. When you reach 26, a teen-ager somewhere in the United States has become pregnant. Fifty-six babies are born to teen-agers every hour. In California, a baby is born to a teen parent every eight minutes.

"This is a kitchen table, where people eat-it's not a drum," Kachina Cossey said to her son, Gabe, who sits on her lap, beating his little palms against the tabletop. Kachina, a 20-year-old mother and Arcata native, looks young; she is petite with short blond hair and contrasting brown eyes. Gabe has dark brown hair and eyes that are wide, inquisitive and playful. He seems to enjoy holding his mouth agape in a big, round smile.

Kachina gave birth to Gabe, now 9 months old, when she was 19. It wasn't a planned pregnancy, and she said that she cried for hours when she found out she was pregnant. She became pregnant after having unprotected sex. When she went to get birth-control pills, she kept waiting for her period before taking the first pill. But the day never came because she was already pregnant. The first person she related the news to was her boyfriend. She said he wasn't pleased about the news, since he already had a daughter from a previous relationship.

At first she decided to get an abortion, but after accompanying her sister who was getting one, she decided she couldn't go through with it. While she was pregnant, Kachina lived in a house with her sister and friend, who were both pregnant.

Kachina has two older sisters; one is 21 years old and the other is 23. Pregnancy at an early age seems to run in her family, since both her sisters have three children. One of her sisters had her first child at the age of 15 after having sex for the first time. She then had a second child when she was 20, and now a year later she is expecting a third. Her other sister, like Kachina, had her first baby when she was 19. She had a second child when she was 21 and her third child a year later. Kachina doesn't plan on having any more kids.

"It just wouldn't feel right dividing my attention between two kids. I just couldn't do that to Gabe he means too much to me," she said proudly.

Kachina, her boyfriend and Gabe have been living  with Kachina's mother for about a month. Kachina and her boyfriend, who is 25 years old, have been together for two years.

Gabe's dad is monetarily supportive, Kachina said, but in other matters, he's not so helpful.

"He's only watched him (Gabe) twice for me since he was born. He loves Gabe they have a bond-but I think that, since he feels that he's paying to support Gabe, he's doing his part. I'm the one who mainly takes care of him," Kachina said. Kachina adores Gabe and is obviously devoted to him. She said that Gabe has improved her life, and she doesn't know what she'd do without him.

"He should wear a sign on his head that says 'Kidnap me, please,' because he'd never cry if a stranger tried to take him. He loves people."

Kachina looks at Gabe, who is getting his bottle from her mother. "I think he's a genius, but then again, I am his mother," she said, smiling. Kachina spends all her time taking care of Gabe when she is not working her part-time job at the Arcata Comfort Inn. Kachina admits that raising a baby puts her on a rigid schedule. Kachina and Gabe wake up every morning at 7:30. She changes  his diaper, they eat breakfast together and then try to get ready for the rest of the day before noon. Kachina rarely has time to herself.

"If I'm not with Gabe I'm with the dad. Sometimes I just want to take a bath by myself," she confides.

Kachina plans to move into a townhouse soon, with Gabe and his father. She is excited that Gabe will have his very own room. Her plans for the future include getting her G.E.D., since she hasn't completed high school, taking care of Gabe and continuing to work.

My visit with Kachina and Gabe ended around 10p.m. Gabe had finally fallen asleep, to Kachina's relief. She cradled him in her arms, her eyelids looked heavy, and I imagined that she was eager to join her son in a deep, restful sleep.

Around the country, similar scenes are unfolding. More than 1 million teens become pregnant every year. There were about 910,000 teen pregnancies in the United States this year, resulting in 370,000 births. The U.S. teen pregnancy rate is 10 times greater than Japan's, and twice the rates of England and Canada, according to the U.S. Department of Health. According to a report done in 1997 on teen moms in Humboldt County, 41 per 1,000 teen-age girls be-came pregnant in 1997.

The California State Department of Health compiled studies to find out the top three reasons why teens get pregnant. The number one reason given was, "I didn't think it could happen to me." The second most common response was that the teen hadn't planned on having sex, therefore wasn't prepared with birth control. The third most typical reason was that the teen actually wanted to get pregnant.

When a woman, teen-age or adult, becomes pregnant she usually has three options available to her. She can have the baby, get an abortion or give the baby up for adoption. There are a number of reasons that influence a young woman's decision.
There are large issues of public health and fluctuating social mores that swirl around teen pregnancies.

According to the North Coast Big Brothers-Big Sisters program, children born to teens are more likely to be of low birth-weight and to suffer from inadequate health care. About 40 percent of American women become pregnant before the age of 20 and about 70 percent of teen moms were impregnated by men over the age of 20. About 55 percent of all mothers on welfare were teenage mothers.

Humboldt County offers many resources for teen-age mothers. The Humboldt Child Care Council offers a variety of services. TAPPN (Teen-age Pregnancy & Parenting Network) is a free case-management service for pregnant and/or parenting teens up to age 18.

Cal Learn is another program that provides cash aid to pregnant and/or parenting teens up to age 19 who don't have a high school diploma or equivalent. Cal Learn gives a $100 bonus for a C average on a quarterly report card. A $500 bonus is also given for completing high school or its equivalency.

The Sibling Pregnancy Prevention Program is provided for the brother or sister of a current TAPPN or Cal Learn client, to discourage early pregnancy and parenting. A DADS program is also accessible to fathers between the ages of 14 and 30, who have children born to a teen mom. This program was created to promote a father's long-term, positive involvement in his child's life.

The North Coast Big Brothers Big Sisters program offers a PAIR program for pregnant or parenting teens. The PAIR program matches teen moms with voluntary mentors who are at least 21 years old. The matches meet twice a month for six months. Mentors provide friendship and support, parenting skills and quality time for teen moms.

Humboldt State University provides a volunteer-based program for teen moms through the YES (Youth Educational Services) program, called SNAP (Support Network for Adolescent Parents). SNAP was started in 1983 by young mothers who went to HSU, and was created because at the time there were no services for teen parents in Humboldt County.

SNAP volunteers are matched up with teen moms and act as mentors to them. SNAP is currently offering a Saturday of games and activities each month at the Eureka Boys and Girls Teen Center. Young children are not usually allowed in the club during regular operating hours.

Alexis Siniscala is the director of SNAP and an HSU student.

"They're good moms. They're doing the same thing most people do, just at a younger age," she said.

Meanwhile, the seconds tick away. Count them. One, two, three. When you reach 26, someone's new life has begun -and someone else's life has changed forever.