I didn't once have a baby as a teenager.

Now this is a story all about how my life got flipped turned upside down....actually it doesn't go anything like that and they are the words of the Fresh Prince who I certainly am not as I have a) never been to Bel Air and b) never rapped a theme tune about my experiences there. That's really the only difference between Will Smith and I.

If you thought the differences ended there you are wrong, both Will Smith and I both avoided the perils of Teenage pregnancy, as he is a man I can probably assume he never has been pregnant (although do scientologists believe that too?). The blog was never meant to be about Will Smith or Scientology, it was meant to be about Buses. Wow that was a tangent that I took there but I did crowbar in a teenage pregnancy reference which will all become clear in a few sentences time.

AWwwwwww Here it goes........ (the words of the prophet Coolio at the start of Keanan and Kel)

A few weeks ago when I went home for the weekend I went to catch the bus into town, the journey in was no unusual one. The idiots at the back playing what can only be described as crap and the old ladies sat at the front. The journey home opened up my eyes to a whole new form of entertainment when I saw something incredible.


As you can see this is a image of the back of the drivers little booth thing on the bus with a lovely stop button and sign telling you to turn your music down (obviously the idiots at the back of the bus cant read). The incredible thing I saw though was the poster entitled Double Trouble. There is your cue to click on the image and look closer.

Did you look? It would seem that in Walsall they have decided to stop just trying to discourage teenagers from having babies and to instead focus on stopping teenagers from having two babies. Is it that bad that the NHS there have decided that it is inevitable? Surely they should be trying to prevent it happening just once. Sure some teenagers can prove themselves to be good parents but by judging books by their cover and those who were on the bus I think stopping before one at the age of 15 and 16 is good enough. I got all the way through my teenage life in Walsall without inevitably having one ginger baby, let alone another that is its exact mirror image.

I also feel this poster is Ginger-ist. Are they purposefully trying to encourage the stereotype that red headed kids are more trouble than the blonde ones and the brunette ones. A bad copy and past of two blonde kids probably wouldn't have gone under that head line, they would probably be promoting it then rather than discouraging it.

Imagine growing up to find out that as a baby you were the face of twins in an unwanted baby campaign run by the NHS. Mom you had better not be hiding anything like that from me!!

Ginger Babies and Poster Campaigns,

t xx