I began my parenting at 17 years old, still in high school, in between the Catholic Family on one side and The Family Gone Wild on the other. Teenage pregnancy was looked down on. Wearing bikinis while pregnant, which I loved, caused most people to go into shock. The homebirth decision was thought to be rebellious, breastfeeding was indecent, and not vaccinating was way overboard. Unlike today’s world where teenage pregnancy is a show on MTV, "baby bump" is a new cool phrase, natural childbirth is like going green and people are open to the vaccination conversation.
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| My great grandmother, my grandfather, my mother, me and my oldest daughter, Rosemari. |
Being a vegetarian 30 years ago was very misunderstood. The most common question people would ask me when I told them I was a vegetarian was, “You still eat chicken and fish don’t you?” When I would say no they would often frown and look very concerned for my health. When I told people I was homeschooling they would say, “But your kids still go to school don’t they?” I would say, “No, I home school them.” And the most common response was, “What does that mean?”
These days I spend time everyday creeping and crawling on the ground. I am learning to stop trying to explain why. I have spent years studying the art of unconditional love. It confuses me as to why people wonder why I would want to learn about the power of love. All my life people have thought I was confused or misguided, later to think I am hip - kind of cool - maybe I know what I’m talking about - and just a little ahead of my time.
Over ten years I wrote poetry about gay rights, marijuana legalization, and economic crashes. People thought I was way out of line. I felt the same way I do now about these issues, yet I see public opinion has swayed.
Someone has to start a new conversation. I am one of those people. People naturally try to hide how they feel when society disapproves. A pregnant belly on a young teenage girl is impossible to hide. I let go of the myth that I could please people all the time.
Being young and pregnant taught me many things, the most important one being to think for myself. I knew I loved my unborn child and the world would come around. I remember this every time I am in a position to choose to be true to myself or do what others expect me to do. It takes courage to act or speak out against the popular opinion, nobody wants to feel alone, but I would rather be alone and true to myself than lost in the crowd.
It’s impossible for all people to have the same opinions, but it is possible for every person to think for themselves. This is why I’d like to close this post with the message that teen pregnancy worked for me, but it isn’t for everyone. I am pro-choice and respect the individual decision to keep or terminate early pregnancy. The beautiful thing about being human is being able to have ones own thoughts and ideas.
