Talking about Juno

What do you do when your ninth grade daughter wants to see Juno, the coming-of-age story that’s making it big in movie theaters right now?

The movie, nominated for Best Picture, tells the story of a 16-year-old girl who gets pregnant and decides to have the baby. She plans to give it up for adoption.

The movie is set in a Twin Cities suburb and was written by former Minneapolis resident Diablo Cody.

I talked to parents and teenagers about their reactions to the film.

Joe Mish, a middle school teacher and the dad of a ninth grade girl in Pine River, Minnesota, says the best thing is to go to the movie with your kid.

“Anything that can open up the lines of discussion about the topic of teenage pregnancy-- that’s a great opportunity to talk or communicate or do something together,” he told me. “I would recommend that people take their kids to see it.”

Joe Mish didn’t see anything in the movie that surprised him. He and his daughter enjoyed it. It’s common to have a few pregnant girls in the small middle school and high school where he teaches.

He thinks that the reason kids are enjoying Juno so much is because of the way that Juno handles the situation. She doesn’t try to hide her pregnancy from her parents and when she decides to have the baby she seeks good parents for it.

Some parents worry the movie makes pregnancy and the decisions surrounding it look easy.

When 16-year-old Morgan Niemeyer of St. Paul wanted to see the movie with her boyfriend, her mother was concerned.

She says her mom told her, “I don’t want you to go see this with your boyfriend [because] you’re gonna want to have a baby too now.”

Morgan laughs. "It was really funny to hear her say this to me,” she says.

Morgan says she doesn’t want to have a baby. She just loved the music and the way that Ellen Page portrayed Juno. Her mom, Shannon Niemeyer, saw the movie herself, and she says it led to a good discussion with Morgan about teen pregnancy.

Fifteen-year-old Sophia Anastazievsky thinks parents ought to talk with their kids about sex. Anastazievsky lives in St. Paul.

“There’s pregnant teenagers in the real world so their kids are obviously going to be exposed to that,” she says. “Kids are talking about it and the kids are going to be exposed to the movie in one way or another,” says Anastazievsky.

Dealing with teen pregnancy can be touchy. But pastor Karen Rossing Grandall, from Spring Valley, Minnesota, says this movie provides a good example for parents and for communities. Grandall is a mom of a teen herself. She says she likes the way the adults in this movie support Juno.

“Her community rallied around her, helping to figure out what the best decision would be,” Grandall says.

The movie Juno is in theaters now and is nominated for three academy awards. including Best Picture. Ellen Page is nominated for Best Actress. It’s also nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

Have you seen the movie?

What do you think about how the movie portrays pregnancy?

What are the teenagers around you saying about the movie?

Do you know any parents who are not letting their kids see Juno? Why?

Resources:

How Old is Too Young to See Juno? Nanci Olesen

Pregnant Teens Talk About Life as Young Moms: ABC News

Teen Moms Find Movie Unrealistic: Edmonton Journal

Changing the Script on Teen Pregnancy: Ellen Goodman

New York Times Review: Juno

Minnesota Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention and Parenting

Listening to the How's The Family report on Juno was tremendously helpful to me before seeing the movie with my 18 year old son. Hearing how other deal with this tremendously tricky topic gave me the courage to go see the show and it ignited a wonderful discussion. I catch How's The Family as I'm driving away from school after dropping off my younger son and it speaks to so many of the issues I am dealing with as a parent trying to navigate this tricky culture. It's good to know that the "news" that means the most to me personally is being addressed on MPR. Thanks for this terrific program.

Yes, I had a good conversation with my 17 year old son after Juno too. One thing he addressed is that the father didn't have any involvement in the pregnancy other than the obvious initial involvement...

My son is lucky enough to take care of his 14 month old niece most weekends, and has been around her since she was a newborn. As he cares for her, I can't help but think he's learning something about the huge responsibility of parenthood.

I think Juno is a great conversation starter for kids and parents.

Thanks, Beth, for your comments about "How's the Family?" too.

Nanci Olesen

I am so glad I found this site. As a mother of two young girls I so appreciate the insightful reporting by Nanci. We all want to do the best for our kids and how we raise them affects everything we do in our family life and in the world at large. It is good to hear the comments from professionals and lay people as we struggle to do our best as parents. Appreciate that Nanci is taking this on for us and presenting it to us in an engaging way. Thanks for supporting the family!