Sixteen and Pregnant...The True Story

As I mentioned in my profile, I was THAT girl, the one in high school who ended up pregnant. Not the captain of the cheer squad or the most popular girl in school, just an academically above average run of the mill high school student. In a class of 500+ it's kind of hard to stand out. However, writing the details about how I overcame adversity, worked my way through college and so on is not my intention. There are so many stories like that out there. They are all over the media, 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom spring to mind. I admittedly have indulged in those shows myself. Even after living it I can't help but think, "those poor girls they had their whole life ahead of them". But as I watch episode after episode I realize that these reality shows are only showing part of the reality. They show some of the difficulties of raising a baby as a kid yourself, but they stop at the point where is really gets tough. You see, they never film the mother as she sits in front of the teacher for the first conference where she is not there under the loving support of her parents, but as the parent herself. All the advice on how to discipline so she can "fix" her child. They never show a mother in tears because of endless phone calls from the school about behavior issues, or the constant back and forth teeth pulling to get her child to complete and turn in assignments and the teachers to just give her a little more time. And they certainly don't film these kids as they become teenagers and not only struggle with the hormonal changes, but throw in ADHD and mood problems and you have a time bomb. These are the stories they don't tell. These are the stories that would cause adolescence to truly think. I now have two wonderful step-kids and I  often think of all the things that I could and would have done differently. I know all parents at some point must go through the "if only's". But then I realize there is no going back, there is only on-ward and up-ward.

As I prepare for the arrival of a niece or nephew in this new year I can only smile knowing that they will have their struggles as parents too. You see pregnant at 16 or pregnant at 24, raising a child is a hard job! But it is also the most important and rewarding job you will ever do. Sure it will be tough and you will wonder what you have signed up for and then you remember that this is a gift that God has given you. I know there are many times when He looks at us with the same worry, sadness, disappointment and unconditional love that we do our own children. Remember He was the only one who had a perfect child and He sent Him as a sacrifice because we aren't.

Today's Blessing: Though the birth of my son was anything less than an "ideal situation" I am blessed that God has entrusted me with the responsibility of raising one of His children.