Being the Teen Mom

Being in high school is already hard, with the drama, gossip, and making it through the year, but what if you were the pregnant girl. I was the pregnant girl. My senior year started off like any other, the hugs from friends and the worries of who you have as a teacher. I had many friends at the beginning. The people I would go to lunch with and try to sit next to in class. I also had my boyfriend, a handsome young man who girls drooled over. We were together for almost four months until I found out. I was sitting in my room at home, watching the pregnancy test figure out the results. Pregnant. Two pink lines come across the screen. Time seemed to stand still. Oh, what do I do? I thought. I should call my boyfriend. The dial tone seemed rougher than usual. "Hey babe," he said as he picked up the phone.

"Babe, I need to come over."

"Is something wrong," he asked.

"Babe," is all I could say before he figured it out that I was pregnant. Click. He needed a moment to think. Ring. "Baby I'm coming to get you, pack some clothes, I love you." At least I still have him. It was a relief knowing I wasn't going to be a single teenaged parent. I was 17 and he was 16, having our first child.

I went back to school a couple days later. I wondered at how people knew so fast, the students and teachers knew I had become the teen mom. My friends congratulated me, but they slowly disappeared, only to become strangers to me. I heard the whispers in the hallway as I walked by, "She's pregnant!" "Has she ever heard of a condom?" It was hard to drown out the gossip when even the teachers talked about me.

It came time to tell my dad. I was scared and nervous to what he would say or do. "Dad, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" he said as he continued to look at his newspaper. I began crying.

"Dad, I'm pregnant." Silence set over us.

"Okay. Let's tell your brothers." I was relieved he didn't scream and flip out. I called my boyfriend later that night, he also told his mom. His mom cried, but she was happy. Deep down, I knew she would be a wonderful grandma, I was always close to her.

We soon moved in together. We figured we needed to do this together. My dad stopped talking to me soon after, I suppose he didn't care since it wasn't his problem. At least I have him. No friends, no family, just him and our baby.

After our daughter was born, our family started judging how we cared for her. Nothing was ever good enough for them, even when they are cruel to their own children. I wasn't going to let them put me down and make me feel less of myself as a mother. I know my daughter is fed, clothed, warm, and loved.

The moral of my story is, babies are never always planned, but if you are willing to climb through the struggle for someone you love, anything is possible. You will never be less of a parent if you know what is right for your children. Most people strive for having a high paying job and a nice car, but having a family is an achievement and if you strive for it, you'll become successful at it. Behind every wonderful child is a caring parent.