‘My parents are going to kill me. I let everyone down; as a matter of fact, I let myself down. I don’t even have any plans for my future, how am I suppose to bring a child into this huge overcrowded world?’ Mother nature is slowly stopping, but the last thought going through my sophomore mind was “I’m pregnant.” I was having all the signs of pregnancy but morning sickness. Everything I used to love to eat just wouldn’t stay down. It’s cold outside and Christmas break is almost over. I can no longer deny that I am pregnant, or can no longer think that I’m not just getting fat. No matter how much I want to believe I am not, I am pregnant. The next step Jamie and I have to take is letting our families know we are going to be teen parents.

“Who to tell first?” My dad already had that little speech that dad’s give to their daughter’s boyfriend about getting them pregnant to Jamie. Were both afraid to let our families know. Our families absolutely can’t stand each other. It’s honestly a surprise that we have lasted in a relationship for four years with the hate between our families. As Jamie and I talked on the phone, trying to come up with ideas to break the baby news, my phone made a beep in my ear, and I saw that it was a text message from my dad. The only thought going through my mind was “He has to know! He took everyone out to B-dubs and had a few more drinks than normal.” After I caught my breath, I read the text message out loud, “Are you pregnant?” My heart dropped. Jamie, who was once excited to tell everyone, freaked out just as bad if not worse.
We calmed down an hour later, and we both agreed I had to text back. I texted the three letters I was so afraid to send: y-e-s. Upon a knock at my door, I slowly approached. The creaking noise from the door made me more nervous. My dad stood there crying. As my heart dropped, I started to think, ‘He’s so disappointed in me.’ He reached out, hugged me, and said, “It’ll be okay, and I’ll stand by your side.” The main person I was terrified to tell now knows. Now it was time to tell Jamie’s family that we would be having a child.

The news was out, my daughter is no longer secret, but the tension was still there. It may be a little worse than it was before. My so-called “friends” and Jamie’s family have called me names. Although the dirty looks, nasty rumors, and rude name calling gets to me, I have put that pointless drama behind me. I need to look ahead on not only my future but my family’s also. I don’t know if I can I be a good mother. I know I still have a ton of maturing to do. I’m overwhelmed. “This is too much to handle. All this came at once and so sudden.” However, no matter how hard this will be, I knew what I was doing to get myself into this. I knew what I was doing when I made the step to have sex. “I will get through this,” I repeat to myself every day I woke up.

February 24, 2011, at 9:45 pm, a Thursday night. Aburie Estelle Marie entered the world. Tears run down my face as I looked at the little girl Jamie and I made. Her beautiful little blue eyes stared back at me as she wrapped her soft tiny hand around my non-polished finger. With just one touch from her, all my worries and doubts escaped my mind. Starting today my life means something, and I have so much more to prove to everyone, but more importantly myself. From that point on I knew nothing would ever be the same, and I am okay with that.

It’s been eight months since I became a teen mother. I am now a junior in high school. Schoolwork is anything but easy, some nights. Some days I think that I won’t be able to do both parenting and school. Aburie has her late cranking nights, when it seems like I will not be able to get anything done. As I am doing my homework, Aburie will crawl all over my papers, and me but that’s not it. She’ll wait till I’m not looking and chew my papers, causing me to start my work all over again. Even though on days I feel like I want to pull my hair out, having Aburie made me want to go to college and plan for our future.

Becoming a teen parent is difficult, but it also has good days. I have faced so many challenges and matured faster than I believed I would. Many people believe being a teen parent will ruin a teenager’s life, but that’s not completely true. Although they should wait till they are older. Becoming a teen parent does not ruin a teen’s life. If a teenager can be mature enough to choose to have sex, they are mature enough to still shoot for their dreams that they had before. Aburie has made my life better.