Teen Mother

Looking at my life as the product of a teen pregnancy.

Science+teacher%2C+Ms.Fallmann%2C+poses+happily+for+a+picture+two+weeks+before+her+due+date.+

Emily Tetreault

Science teacher, Ms.Fallmann, poses happily for a picture two weeks before her due date.

Valentina Nazzar, Contributor

 

I was a product of a teenage pregnancy when my mother was 16 and my father was 19.

Having such a young mother actually teaches you a lot of things. It can teach you about having a child so early, and the difficulties of life. However, it also gives you someone you can talk to.

For the past 15 years it’s basically been just me and my mom.

It was a broken condom that caused it, a condom that was supposed to work 98% of the time.”In 2015, a total of 229,715 babies were born to women aged 15–19 years, for a birth rate of 22.3 per 1,000 women,” explained cdc.gov while also saying that the birth rates fell 9% for women ages 15-17.

 

Some religions or people don’t believe abortion is good.

Adoption is always a choice.

There are a lot of families that want children, but they can’t have any.

 

The other option is to keep the child.

Personally, if I ever found myself in a situation where I’m 16 and pregnant, I would have an abortion or put the baby up for adoption.

 

Pregnancy at such a young age isn’t only hard for the teenager, but also for the child.

Having a young mom isn’t easy because it’s like having a sister trying to raise you even though she’s still your mother.

 

Right now my mom is 31 and I’ve basically grown up with her and my uncle who’s only 3 years older than me.

 

It’s like every day is a different adventure. If it’s not the 5AM breakfast at iHOP and going to see the sunrise, then it’s the last minute trips on a Friday night when we’re all bored and there’s nothing to do.

 

Sixteen is not the age to get pregnant, or to start raising a child.

If you want to have sex and you don’t want to get pregnant, always remember to wear a condom. If you don’t feel like that’s enough, there’s also some places you can go so you can look into other options.

 

While I was growing up, I had trouble bonding with my mom. She worked two jobs, and so did my grandmother, so I only saw her once a week. Basically I had to learn to settle with the fact that she wasn’t around, and learn how to be mature when it came to serious topics.

 

In my opinion, always think twice before having sex. Make sure it’s with the right person, who isn’t just using you for it.