These acts of rebellion seem perfectly normal to some of today's youths since no one has been around to give any type of moral instruction. Teenagers especially need guidance about appropriate sexual activity. Teens that are wrapped up in the excitement of breaking a rule or a law do not think about the consequences of their actions. This tendency to rebel is especially true of sexual activities. Boys believe that teen pregnancy is the girl's problem, and girls sometimes see teen pregnancy as a way of hooking a man or collecting a welfare check.
Some teenage girls give birth to babies as a way to prove their womanhood.
These defiant teens believe that they have done something great by defying the establishment and its rules. Peer pressure, or the need to be one of the in-group, pressures teenagers to do whatever is necessary to be liked, no matter who gets hurt in the process. Because being popular is important to most teens, they believe that it justifies any action they take to gain that desired popularity. Sometimes parents encourage this thinking by pushing their children to try for positions that come from popularity, such as homecoming queen, prom queen and king, or most popular student. This parental influence is a case of parents being too involved in their children's lives.