Plans change...

ahelley's story

October 09, 2007

I am just 19 years old and I have a 22 month old little girl named Kendall who is the love of my life! She was born July 2005, I had just turned 17 years old and was about to become a senior in highschool. I wasn't ready for a kid, I was still a kid myself, but I knew that I had made the adult decision to have sex and I had to make the adult decisions concerning my unborn baby. When I thought that I was too overwhelmed or that I couldn't do it anymore, my mom always reminded me that I was now the adult and that I made the choice so I needed to make the choice to take care of my child. My senior year was the hardest year of my life because I now had to make decisions around my daughter because I was responsible for her well being as well as mine. This meant that if I didn't have a babysitter lined up, I wasn't going out anywhere with my friends because my mom was busy taking care of my 3 younger siblings, and the baby's father was not in the picture anymore. My social life took a backseat because my daughter had to come first. Even though I had to make a compromise, I wouldn't change anything because my daughter is beautiful and amazing, and I love her so much.
I'm not trying to scare anyone with this story, but this is how it is. It isn't easy having child, especially when you are still in high school and still a child yourself. I just wish that I had listened to my mom when we had the sex talk because as much as you don't think things can happen, oh they can. Did I think that I was going to be a mother at 17? Definitely not. I had plans for college and my future, and a baby wasn't in it until I was older.
All i'm trying to say is please be careful and practice protected sex. If you do think that you are pregnant, tell someone. Find out for sure. It is so much easier to have it out in the open than trying to hide it. After all, we all know that you can't hide a pregnancy for your family for 9 months.