Young Mamas Please Read!!!

Long but I have to share!!!

My boyfriend of two years and I had a baby in high school. I was sixteen and a junior and he was eighteen and a senior. In the midst a complicated high risk-pregnancy I decided to drop out of high school. I got my GED that same month. My husband since he was a senior was able to get his high school diploma as our daughter was not born until June. Me and (my now husband) got married at just 17 and 19. As soon as my daughter was born we moved out on our own and started our life as a very young family! I stayed at home with our daughter while my husband bounced between jobs to find the best fit for our financial situation. It was all really scary growing up so fast, but you will do anything for your child! We both decided when our daughter was 18 months old it was time to pursue higher education and so we did just that TOGETHER! This week we both have finished our associates degrees at 20 and 22. We aren’t done either!! Next semester we are staring at a four year college to get our bachelors degrees and next stop masters! Our daughter is 3 years old now and a absolute joy. I was not an ideal student in high school, but I can say whole heartily my daughter has been my biggest motivation to do better for not only myself but for her future.

We just bought our first starter last month so she had a backyard to play in and that is such a relief because rent is high where we live and apartment living is not ideal when you have a family.

I received so much hate when I dropped out of high school. I was told I would never do anything with my life. I was also told that I should get an abortion. I was told my GED would never amount to anything.

The moral of the story is I have done more with my life just so far than many of my peers who have faced much less struggle. No, our parents did not help with the cost of our daughter, home or college. With hard work and determination you can do ANYTHING you put your mind to.

A GED is better than nothing.

Lastly just because you are a young mama doesn’t mean that you can not achieve your dreams!!!