I was watching a show on teenage mums last evening. There was a 15year old girl who had chosen to keep her baby and was explaining how hard it was to be a teenage mum. In previous shows they had shown this particular girl while pregnant and her decision making process of whether to keep the baby or put the baby up for adoption. Despite being age 15, in school, with no income and living with her parents she chose to keep the baby. Some people were upset with her for that decision, but I wondered how easy would it be ,to give up your baby whom you have bonded with for 9months?
Lucky for her, there are schools for teenage mums where they go with their babies and volunteers watch the kids while they attend class. In the show , they share a video clip of her preparing the baby in the morning before heading to school. While she finishes to dress the boy, he burps and she feels worked up as she is running late for school. The irony is that she has to be driven to school by her father because she underage.Can you imagine what you used to do while you were 15years and compare with this young mum?
Another girl in the same show, shared in tears how she initially thought it would be great to be a teenage mum but after having the baby, she discovered it was so hard and wondered whether she made the right decision to keep the child or she should have opted for adoption, (by the way she truly loves her child) . These teens said how they had to get new sets of friends who thought like them unlike the old ones who at their age thought about dating , best friends, new trends in clothes and hair styles . When going out, they have to carry diapers, change of clothes for baby and their lives were never the same again.
I became a mum at 29 and the joys of pregnancy and motherhood were amazing. I sat there listening to these young mums and it hurt because they are not equipped to handle motherhood at that age. It’s just not right, not just for them but even for their babies. I am not judging them, not at all, am just saying they should be free from such responsibility of motherhood. Ask any mum, how a baby changes their lives and their view of life.
I pray that we can be able to talk to our young ones, both girls and boys. Some of the teens parents said how they ignored signs that their kids were sexually active. Some feared being branded as "parents from hell" and not cool and allowed their kids to go over to their boyfriends homes. There was so much regret in them and their kids wished the parents were more firm.
Even as our teenages insist they know it all, may we get the strength and wisdom to talk to them about their sexuality and implications of wrong choices. Everything is beautiful at its times, motherhood is great but when you are mentality, physically and emotionally prepared.
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