Teen Mom

A challenge that I have faced in my life was being pregnant as a teenager. This meant that I fell under the stereotype of teen pregnancy which portrayed financial and emotional struggle, lack of education, and irresponsible parenting. This stereotype is painted by the image people choose to believe about teenage parents but does not portray what all teen parents look like. Many people would pity me as I walked through the halls in high school, thinking that my life was over. Little did they know, becoming pregnant as a teenager was the best challenge I have ever been faced with.

When I started my final high school year, I did not think that by the time I graduated, I would be a mother. In my high school years, I was a very shy person who feared public speaking because I would be the centre of attention. Being the centre of attention was something that I had to get used to once I found out that I was pregnant. When I would walk through the halls at school, I could sense the tension around me as peers stared at my stomach. I had told myself that I was not going to let that stop me from going to school, despite the rumours that people had started spreading. I knew that my family and friends would always know the truth and be there to support me when I became overwhelmed with the image people were creating.

The problem with high school is that people enjoy judgment so that they have a new topic of conversation with their friends. Even adults pass judgment because of the age of the parent but never try to understand the situation that person is in. I was lucky enough to have a very supportive family and already had a part-time job at the local Tim Hortons. I continued to attend my class and even participate in my physical education class. I had also passed judgment on teen parents before I had found out that I was pregnant, which is why I was determined to overcome this stereotype. With help from my teachers, I was able to graduate on time with my class, with a high skill major in sports. Just by graduating high school, I was overcoming the stereotype that labels teen parents as undereducated, but that was only the first step.

After I completed high school, I started working full-time so that I could afford being on unpaid maternity leave. When August came around, I had been off work for only a week before my beautiful little boy came into this world. Looking at him for the first time, I knew that I would do whatever it takes to give him the life he deserves. After eight months off, I decided to go back to work part-time while he was at daycare. Eventually, part-time became full-time because the cost of daycare is incredibly high. The teen pregnancy stereotype portrays parents as living off of welfare and having no desire to work. I feared this aspect of the stereotype, which is why I worked hard at my job for as many hours as I could and eventually got promoted to a supervisor.

I worked full-time up until September of 2014 when I started college. Starting college was not something that I wanted to do, because I thought that I had a job, I did not need to further my education. Looking back on the stereotypical teen parent, I am thankful that I came to the realization that I need to pursue a career, in order to set a positive example for my son. Teen parents are not always the irresponsible "children having children," that everyone believes them to be. With the proper encouragement and support, teenage parents can succeed and create a positive image for themselves, which is what I am proud to say I did. My son is now five and I have completed two college programs and now work as a paramedic in my hometown. I am still faced with the look of shock when people learn my age after I mention my son, but I understand that this stereotype still has a lot of work that needs to be done with it. Teenage parents have the same potential to provide a child with the life they deserve and set a positive example for other teenagers who become pregnant. Becoming pregnant as a teenager was the best challenge I have ever faced. It gave me the opportunity to discover who I am as a person, take on new responsibilities, and most importantly, it gave me my beautiful son.