Have you ever looked at a mother and judged her based on her age? Assumed she was a bad mother and/or assumed she got pregnant from some drunken incident purely because she is younger than you think a parent should be…

Well I must admit, in the past I myself have looked at young parents and judged them. Thought that it was wrong for them to have a child and that they cant be a brilliant mother.

   However, now the tables have turned. I know that was not right, I knew nothing about it. I had just heard the bad press and stereotyped them all to be like that. However with everything there are exceptions!

 I am a mother of one, I got pregnant when I was 18 and gave birth 4 months after my 19th birthday. This was not something I had planned but it was very much wanted after it happened. I hadn’t been in my relationship for very long but I loved my partner a great deal. I had always wanted children, however perhaps not this early. I didn’t really know what to do when I found out. My partner was waiting to hear the results, I did it first thing in the morning before he could get round to be with me. I stared at the test, showing the result as positive. I took another, the same. I told him and he came straight over and we went for a walk to discuss things. Although I didn’t know what to think or do, there was one thing I was certain about; this was our baby, and I could not have an abortion. It isn’t something I particularly agree with and I knew I would never be able to bring myself to do it. Somehow we would cope, we were both strong people, and both loving. This is something that happened, in a way it must have been meant to be.  Would this be the making or us? It turned out, yes it really would.

  I wasn’t under any false illusions that me and my partner would then be together forever and everything would be perfect. I knew it would be tough and that there was a chance we wouldn’t make it through as a couple. I however didn’t let this stop me from being happy and from giving him and myself the benefit of the doubt. We both didn’t feel our family lives were perfect and we really craved that for our child. We meant so much to each, loved each other, had fun and felt comfortable with one another. We could do this. Through my pregnancy and hormonal mood swings there was some rough patches but we always pulled through. We didn’t just feel we had to for our child but for ourselves. He meant everything to me and I did to him.