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‘16 and Pregnant’: Lizzie

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Teens. Music. Pregnancy. If you managed to tear yourself away from that ‘other’ show -- ‘Glee’ -- and tuned in to MTV, the all-too-authentic reality of what can happen when a pregnancy intersects with teendom was unfolding.

In this week’s episode, we’re introduced to Lizzie of Smithfield, Va. As required by her age group, she likes to party and have fun … and play the flute? That’s different. Seems Lizzie has aspirations of going to college and playing for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra one day. But as a teen mother, can she fit quarter-notes and scales in with all the crying and diaper-changing?

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I was really, really hoping the answer would be yes.

But she’s got a baby in her belly, and the plans that seemed so manageable pre-baby come tumbling down post-baby no matter how much her parents warned her. That’s not to say she didn’t try. As a junior, she left her high school halls to get home-schooled once she found out she was pregnant. And she didn’t let her burgeoning belly stop her from getting that diploma, which she received five months before her peers … at her baby shower. She even sent an e-mail to the Virginia Symphony to learn what the necessary steps were to get in. A big step, considering the only flute-playing she was doing was in her home since she was no longer part of her high school band.

But once baby Summer made her debut, the plans got revised. Her 19-year-old boyfriend Skylar -- anyone else find his voice a bit creepy? -- was the only one working (half-time at a thrift shop), and finding the monetary resources to pay for all those diapers and formula was proving more than a matter of penny-pinching. So Lizzie decided to quash her dreams of being a musician to become an ultrasound technician. An adult move, considering her fellow “16 and Pregnant” teen moms might not have been so responsible. Still, it would have been nice to see her overcome all the setbacks. But even the revised plan got revised. Finding it difficult to spend time away from Summer, Lizzie decides to drop out of school and maybe find a job. It didn’t help matters when she discovered her Skylar, who took a cue from Beyonce and put a ring on Lizzie’s finger, cheated on her months earlier.

Other random thoughts:

-- I thought things got kooky on “16 and Pregnant” with the beatboxing dad … but Skylar surpassed that career with his goal of becoming a professional glass blower.

-- What was with Skylar’s pink steering-wheel cover?

-- Was anyone else aware of this intense rivalry between trumpets and flutes? I had no idea. I was always so busy trying not to fall as I hauled an oversized keyboard to music class.

-- Grinding is a deal-breaker when deciding whether to go to a dance? Lizzie deciding not to go to Homecoming (side note: the dress she would have worn was not cute … at all) because her belly would get in the way.

So Show Trackers, what did you think of Tuesday’s episode? Did Skylar’s voice bother you, too? What do you think of Lizzie’s decision to drop out of school?

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-- Yvonne Villarreal

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