a shout out to teen moms
My first friend to have a baby was, Monica. We were 17 at the time and when my mother heard the news, she sighed and looked incredibly sad as she said, “Well, I guess her life is over.”
I have to admit, at the time, I kind of agreed with her. I mean, I knew that teen moms were less likely to finish school, more likely to be poor, and that their kids disproportionately faced long term hardships.
In the end, however, Monica’s life wasn’t over. She had to grow up fast, to be sure. And she experienced challenges that I wasn’t going to encounter for almost 15 years. But last I’d heard, she and her son were doing well. She had recently gotten married and had a decent job. He was in high school, and thinking about what he wanted to do next.
Of course, Monica’s wasn’t the only tale of teen parenting that didn’t turn out disastrously. Just look at our President Elect. Yup, Obama’s mom was only 18 when he was born! Despite being a young single mom, she went on to get her PhD, and he went on to change the course of history.
So how can teen moms maintain their sanity, finish school, and raise an Obama, instead of say, sinking into poverty and producing a juvenile delinquent? Finding support and community is crucial. So is knowing your rights and exercising them.
One of these rights is your right to attend school. This is protected under a law called Title IX, which makes it illegal to discriminate against teenage parents by forcing them to leave school or enroll in special programs.
This is an important right to take advantage of. Even though it might seem impossible at the time, getting a high school diploma is one of the best ways to give yourself and your child a better shot at a positive future!
You should also know that once you are pregnant or parenting, you are allowed to consent to your own health care and authorize care for your child without involving your parents. This is generally true no matter how young you are.
Resources and support for teen moms are available in many communities. Check with your local hospital or a Planned Parenthood health center to find out about programs in your area.
You can also find information online at places like, Girl-Mom and the Young Mommies Help Site. Another great resource is the website of Katherine Arnoldi, a former teen mom who chronicled her journey in a great comic book and also produced a guide to college for teen parents.
No one says that being a teen mom is an easy route to take. But once a pregnant teen make the decision to parent, that decision should be respected. Teen moms need more help and less stigma. Shifting this balance is one of the best ways to help them and their children defy the bleak statistics we often see screaming from the headlines.
