16 and Pregnant recap: There's Nothing Wrong with Video Games

Once upon a time, Megan from A Unique Little Town, Colorado thought her new belly was “cute” and that first boyfriend Nathan was the “love of her life” — so naturally, the couple could overcome any and all obstacles in nine easy months. Who says an unexpected teen pregnancy can’t be a modern fairy tale?

Though Megan’s personality was the embodiment of the show’s opening credits, her bubbly-letters-and-rainbows outlook on life and her newly complicated situation did not sit well with her father Frank or older sister Moriah. Each was serving in the military and was equipped with the rough and blunt exterior that would shake the pregnant right out of anyone…except their daughter/sister. Frank grimaced with pain as he retold the story of learning his baby girl was pregnant, as if he still could feel that punch he wished he’d delivered right to Nathan’s sperm bank, while Sassy Sister Moriah was a true believer in forcing her opinions down the naive throats of lesser beings. She saw no problem bestowing her thoughts about Nathan on her little sister, even if they would make Megan upset. “It’s not going to be easy. I think once the baby comes and things start getting rough, Nathan’s gonna split,” she predicted.

Despite Megan’s disapproving family, Frank and Moriah eventually returned to their assignments overseas, and the tough love this teen couple needed was quickly replaced by her mother, the sweet cheerleader Yvette (“I think she can do it. I know she can do it!”). Megan’s mom was supportive; she allowed Nathan to live in her home and helped take care of the baby when he arrived, but she was nowhere near as intimidating as Frank. Her selfless gestures were lost on Mr. Monotone, and certainly didn’t inspire the deadbeat baby daddy with “nothing better to do” to look for a job, much less get up from his favorite chair.

Megan tried to see Nathan as a reformed daddy-to-be, whose partying days were now replaced by hours and hours of perfecting the art of laziness in Megan’s basement dungeon. When he wasn’t getting a fierce tan from the glow of the TV screen, or working up a fierce digital work out, Nathan would have the occasional incomprehensible conversation with friend Tyler about how cool it is that they both have two lip rings. (My children will never play video games.)

Although he was three years older, Nathan’s concept of reality and responsibility was still at the remedial level. Blindly, Megan rationalized his lack of involvement by explaining that the physical effects of the pregnancy (i.e. the baby growing in her belly) acted as the constant reminder of her impending responsibilities (are you sure it wasn’t the “Baby Makes the Belly Go Round” t-shirt that did it?).

When it was time to step up and support his family after Megan went back to school, Nathan took a job with a dependable income but in an undesirable location. Moving to Texas for work seems like a big decision, yet also one that allows him the “freedom” he complains he never got while sitting alone in the basement all day. Are you proud of him for actually getting a job, or do you fear he’ll get distracted living so far away from Megan and the baby, and will fall back into his routine of playing video games all day? Could the move just be an excuse to escape reality yet again? Do you think they’ve made it work?

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