FARMINGTON — Teen parents often bear the brunt of unsolicited advice, a situation organizers of the eighth annual young parent conference wanted to challenge.

About 100 teen parents from the Aztec, Farmington and Central Consolidated school districts attended the day-long conference Wednesday at San Juan College.

The conference, sponsored by several agencies that work with teens, was designed to arm young parents with skills, resources and products necessary for parenting. Organizers also aimed to give teens something they rarely get elsewhere: a listening ear.

"They have a lot of people telling them what to do," Rita McGrath, parent educator for the Central Consolidated School District's Parents as Teachers program, said of teen parents. "I think it's difficult in that sometimes leaders don't take them as seriously as they would an adult, but they have the same responsibilities."

For some young parents, the thrill of teenage life, including dating, driving and school dances, is rushing past. Instead, these teens are changing diapers and waking for early-morning feedings.

"We're not promoting parenthood at all at this time in their lives," said Peggy Soria, early childhood coordinator at CCSD. "Our goal is to make sure these teens' children don't end up like them."

According to a national study released this week by Guttmacher Institute, teen birth rates are on the rise in most states, with New Mexico reporting the highest number of teen pregnancies

at 93 per 1,000 births.

New Mexico's teen birth rate is 50 percent higher than the national average, according to state Department of Health information.

Although the numbers are disconcerting, organizers of Wednesday's conference chose to celebrate teens' decisions to be active parents. They targeted teens who juggle parenting with the demands of high school, jobs and friends.

Teen pregnancy is not encouraged, Soria said, but once the choice is made, teens need a network of support to succeed.

"The way we look at this is that we're trying to help them," she said. "They already made the choice. If we don't do this, they'll be welfare families from this point forward. We're trying to help get them educated and see that there's another road out there. We need to get them going down the right path so they can become productive citizens."

Representatives from about 50 community organizations participated in the event Wednesday by setting up interactive or informational booths for teens to peruse. Topics included baby names, nutrition, health, discipline and language. Teens also got to make fleece blankets or sock toys for their children.

Teen participants earned play money at each booth. Afterward, they traded the money for baby items, including diapers, bottles, clothing and toys.

Organizers plan all year for the conference, McGrath said. They solicit donations from businesses and the community for use in the trading post, and they seek support from organizations that support young parents.

The conference this year was held at the college to allow teens a taste of life on a college campus, McGrath said.

"We wanted to introduce them to the college," she said. "We wanted them to experience a little bit of college life."

The conference also is designed to combine teen parents with community and school resources so they are more likely to complete high school, McGrath said. She estimated about one-third of teen parents drop out of school indefinitely.

"We want to arm them with resources and skills to support them in their parenting and keep them in school," McGrath said. "Support is really important so they can continue with school."

Samantha Charley, 17, and Michael Smart, 16, both juniors at Shiprock High School, plan to graduate and go to college. The teens are parents to 6-month-old Peyton Smart.

The pregnancy was planned, Charley said, and the teens got a lot of support from their families.

Smart said the hardest thing about being a parent is getting up during the middle of the night. He doesn't mind changing diapers, however.

Charley said the hardest thing is being away from her daughter. The teens left Peyton at home while they attended the conference Wednesday. After graduating from high school, Charley and Smart plan to go to college and get a place of their own.

"I have no regrets," Charley said. "This was totally worth it."

Another teen parent, Samantha Begay, 17, plans to graduate this spring from Kirtland Central High School. Begay was 15 when she gave birth to her son, Noah Velarde.

The teen said she got a lot of support from her mother and her fiance's parents, and that made all the difference.

"I was scared about what my mom would say when she found out I was pregnant," Begay said. "I always did well in school, and I wasn't the person everyone thought would get pregnant at such a young age."

Begay took a semester off during her sophomore year of high school, but she returned and made up the classes she missed.

Although being a teen parent is hard, Begay said she doesn't regret anything.

"If I were to do it again, I'd have a better plan," she said, "but this is an experience I'll never forget. It's really fun watching your kid grow up."

The conference also coincides with the Navajo Nation's child abuse prevention initiative, said Betsy Yazzie, substance abuse specialist at Teen Life Center in Shiprock.

"If we can mentor and teach and love, we're doing our part," she said.