comment: >
  
  Where the hell did they assume that?
context: I hope this person is given the resources he needs to feel more empowered and confident. That child will likely be better for having their father in their life as long as he is doing his absolute best…even if he’s not perfect. Becoming a father at 17 must feel unbelievably scary, and who knows what his support system at home is like. I hope he has a loving family, and wish him many MANY years of growth, joy, and success. I wish I could hug him too 😭 >
  
  Shame society at large will forget about them in the coming years, optimistically, for much the same reasons as the societal pressures that drove the father to want to kill himself. Inadequate resources, Inadequate societal safety nets, and inadequate opportunity. >
  
  I agree 100%. I volunteer regularly at an organization that helps homeless individuals. After spending significant time with them, it really became clear to me how simple some of their issues started out as, and most of the time how easy and relatively “cheap” it would be to intervene and help them before things got worse and worse over the years as their lives spiraled out of their control. These people have asked for help from many prominent organizations designed to help the homeless and had been turned down initially (“they don’t qualify”) only to finally become “eligible” after a few years had passed and their lives become an unrecognizable mess with several other new issues compounded. Why can’t we help people when they first need assistance? This kid needs love and support, both from his family, and also from society. 
  I know I mostly touched on homelessness (which I don’t suspect he is dealing with, based on the article) but this applies for almost all issues — addiction, mental health, teen parenthood, etc. Beyond saying “we need to help each other”, I don’t know what solution to offer. I don’t know how to fix the problem…but I care deeply for him and anyone else who is suffering or struggling. I wish there was more I could do. >
  
  
  only to finally become “eligible” after a few years had passed and their lives become an unrecognizable mess with several other new issues compounded. Why can’t we help people when they first need assistance? 
  
  For whatever reason, we don't like to "unfuck" people. Like when people say "let's not forgive all this student debt, let's focus on the REAL culprit of X, Y or Z." What is implied is that these people who were fooled and/or are fucked in some kind of way are simply written off. Oh well, sucks to suck! So it becomes like the socio-economic version of the ETMALA. Oh, they'll stabilize your condition so you don't starve, perhaps. But beyond that, you're on your own. Millions of people in the same situation? Sorry, still have to earn your keep. It's wearing you down? Tough shit! I worked hard, and look at me! My shit doesn't stink at all anymore! Really, it's a brutal place, that we've allowed ourselves to get to. >
  
  Damn ya’ll are mean! The 17 year old teen found out he’s gonna be a father. Going to guess it’s a young teen pregnancy. This father was going to kill himself due to the fear but this officer saved him. She also saved this future kid from not having a father. >
  
  Jeez, what a fucking tone deaf comment to make >
  
  It's not tone deaf. People are replying to my post and comments saying life never gets better. >
  
  Clearly you made this thread with the best of intentions. >
  
  I didn't. I actually wanted to spread something positive. But it's upsetting seeing the replies I was getting from certain individuals on how life never gets better. >
  
  It doesn't.  Ever. My brain isn't capable of it. No medicine I have tried has helped. Therapy. My own bridge. It doesn't. You just hop from little ember of brightness to dying ember. Again and again. Just hoping there's another light somewhere you can make out in the dark to head towards. 
  This dude 17, about to live the rest of his life poor, exhausted, depressed, scared out of his mind for the rest of his life he won't be able to keep his kid fed and warm. 
  You know something stupid like 60% of this country barely makes it from one payday to the next? You know even as much as the bottom 80% could be sent into irreversible poverty by a single critical illness or accident? 
  So now, we get to sit here and be subjected to this Puff piece about a cop, let's see, oh, doing their job instead of killing people, that's nice. 
  Did that kid make a mistake? Probably. Is 17 too early to say its the end of the world? Maybe. 
  Is it all going to get better? Probably fucking not. Not for him at least.
  Edit: yes, yes, down vote me harder, that will fix the mental health crisis in this country. That will fix the lack of social support in this country. The fact. Over half the country barely survives. You're all doing such a good job proving me wrong.
  For what it's worth... you don't have to always see the next ember. You just have to have it in you to walk in the dark for a little while. 
  It's a hard walk. You want to spread positivity? Don't share news stories about cops doing their bare minimum, advocate for better mental health services in this country. Advocate for a better living wage in this country so 17 year olds aren't terrified their child will starve. 
  Advocate for better sex education and reproductive services in this country, so 17 year olds don't have to be parents in the fucking first place. 
  There's so many better uses of your time than 'cop does job, child nervously accepts becoming parent' >
  
  You just predicted this kid's whole future in such a predetermined way. I get you have your own experiences, but you can't use them to predict another person's life story. 
  The guy is 17. I'd think my life is over at that age if I was having a baby. 
  But this kid has his whole future ahead of him. Everything you said is based on statistics and your lived experience, but there are always exceptions and people who overcome. Even people in poverty can find happiness. I know it's tough. I have been there. 
  But saying a kid's life won't get better when the alternative is death and not being there for his own child is wild.