As I have said before, I am very blessed, with regards to my parents. My mother was 16 when she and my dad married. He was 21, and, as the story goes, they had to lie about her age in order to get married. Only a few of my dad’s relatives, including his parents, thought they had any chance of staying married. My mother’s parents were livid…
It was nearly a year and seven months to the day after their marriage that I was born. My mother had all three of her children before she was 21 years old. Even though she was very young, she was a great mother! There could be no doubt in ANYONE’S mind whether or not my mother loved us. She showered us with affection…but we were also disciplined when warranted and taught to show the proper respect for whomever we met. We went everywhere with our parents and if we got out of line, there were consequences…AND, if we happened to act up in class, we knew that our punishment at home would far outweigh ANYTHING the school could do to us…So we were all well behaved.
My point??? These days, we read all the time about teen pregnancies and children being neglected and taken away from these child/parents, as well as older parents, and sometimes the reason is “I don’t know what I’m doing.” So, how has that changed since my mother was a “teen mom?”
Truth is, it hasn’t. There is no official “Baby 101” manual, so parents have to be dedicated to their child. I was born when my mother was 17 years old. My dad worked 2 and 3 jobs so that my mother could stay home with us kids, and later be there when we got home from school to help us with homework. She also did all the other stuff mother’s do, but it never went unnoticed by my father. My dad helped around the house and with us kids when he got off work or had a a day off. They worked as a team to get their job done with regards to us. I never heard my mother whine or complain or feel the least bit sorry for herself. She did what needed to be done, because, after all, she and my dad brought us into this world…She missed her high school graduation, her prom, going out with her friends to hang out on a Friday night, all the stuff kids do now. She, later, got her GED and went on to go to college and get her Master’s Degree, with honors…all without neglecting her family…She is amazing!
My mother was a mother when we were growing up, but became my friend when I transitioned into adulthood. Don’t get me wrong, when I made a mistake, my mother reverted back to her mother-role right away, and still will, if she feels she needs to do so! BUT…one thing is for sure, I have NEVER doubted her love for me, and I KNOW beyond any doubt that she is supportive. She is a Blessing from Our Creator to me in this life and there are really no words I can use to thank the Divine for such a gift…I love you my mommy!
One Sacred Soul 