Here are the facts: Every year 614,000 teenage women become pregnant.  That's one in three.  82 percent of these pregnancies are unplanned.  14 percent of them end up in abortion.  For her community profile, Nely approached a childhood friend and teen mother to provide intimate perspective on a problem that affects us all.  Beyond the statistics, Nely provides her readers with both hard truth and important discovery. 

 

Nely Ledezma

English 1A

Professor Lewenstein

November 22, 2016

                                             TEENAGE PREGNANCY

    Although many people say teen pregnancy is now at epidemic levels, it is actually something that has been happening for the past years. The percentages have been decreasing. I have friends that have had a baby at a young age. They talk to me about their lives and how it completely changed. They are very happy, of course, because they love their child. They did mention how difficult it was to be a teen mom. My friend’s story changed my perspective on teen pregnancy. There are many teens that can relate to what she went through.

    If being a teen mother of one child is extremely hard, imagine what it would be like to have, not only one, but 3 kids at a young age. I have a very close friend named Valeria who went through this situation. As she was young, it never crossed her mind that she would be a teen mother. I have known her for practically the majority of her life. I would see the hard work she would put in at school, and at home to help her parents. Vale, was never the kind of girl who went out to parties because her parent would never allow her to do so.Valeria and I were neighbors. Once in a while when we were little girls, we enjoyed playing with dolls or any other games girls liked to play with. She was just a few years older then I was, but that never stopped us from being very close friends. Valeria, took good care of her younger brothers. She always made sure the food was ready before her parents arrived home from work. Her parents were extremely strict with her. They did not allow her to use certain clothes or go out much. It was a big surprise to find out that she was going to be a mother.

    She was fourteen years of age when both our families decided to move temporary to Washington State. That was where she met a guy who was also living there temporary. He was seven years older then she was. At first, she treated him like any other stranger. As she got to know him better she fell in love with this person and apparently he also did. When we moved back he would visit her once in a while. When Valeria turned 15 she had a Mexican traditional party called a "Quinseañera". That was the time her parents finally gave her permission to see her boyfriend. It was not much later when she decided to leave her home and move in with him.

    Only one month passed and she called me with the news. She told me she was going to be a mother soon. I heard happiness in her voice but also nervousness. It was shocking to me. Even though the fact that she had to let her parents know scared her, she deeply knew they would be there for her and support her.

    Vale had a beautiful little girl named Adel. She was a great mother.  Not only was she being a mom, but she was also a student at the same time. She graduated, with decent grades. It was very difficult for her but all her hard work was accomplished.

    Time had passed when again vale found out she was expecting again. This time it was not only one baby, but two in the way. She was now 19 years of age. This idea completely scared her. Now she was going to have 3 kids at a young age.

   She now has 3 children. She never let that bring her down. In fact that was her motivation. Both herself and her husband worked extensively hard to see them healthy and happy. Her children are fully surrounded by much love.

    My friends story reminds me of how there are many people who say the teen mothers are not well matured and most likely will be inadequate mothers. This is why I think my friends story proves wrong. It was a hard situation for her, of course but that never stopped her from thinking what was best for her family.

    How does teen pregnancy effect future plans? Many plans drastically change. Teen mothers have to take this situation in a calm and positive way. It's surprising to know that teens do unhealthy things to loose their child. It's been proven that about twenty one percent of pregnancies end up in abortions. There are a lot of consequences in the future and teens have a big pressure on themselves. Before teens make any decisions they should first fill their minds with positivity.

    The article " Pregnancy Birth And Baby", describes many resources that help not only the parent but also the child. Having the support of friends and family will also help teens cope with their new lifestyles. There are four main points in this article that help us have a better understanding of what's it's like to be a young parent. One of the main points are the issues the teen has with their own  parents. The majority of the teens parents express bad emotions and react in a certain way. Another important point in this article is "young men and pregnancy". Fathers experience a total shock when they find out they are going to be fathers. They sometimes doubt whether they will support their new family or not. One very important issue is the decisions a teen decides to choose. Young woman should be informed of the importance in knowing pregnancy options first. Sadly, teens don't seek for advice when they find out they are pregnant and committee a bad decision which they en up regretting. Lastly, teen mothers have a lot of struggles but  there is always a way to finish school and find great ways for support.

    It was a fresh Saturday morning, when I decided to go visit my very close friend Valeria. After not seeing her for a long time, we both were extremely happy to see each other. We were sitting outside in the benches watching over her three beautiful kids. She seemed normal as usual. We laughed and told jokes all day. We constantly reminded one another of old memories and the great moments we spent together when we were young. As we were talking, I was wondering how she does it to take care of not only one, but three children at a young age.

    Time passes and I told her I needed to ask her a few questions. I could see she looked very nervous and confused. I asked her how her life changed when she found out she was pregnant and she was just 15 years old. We both went silent. It was as if she was going back to all that she went through. She answered by saying "it was tough, but when I saw my baby girl, everything drastically changed to happiness." She automatically melted my heart. She mentioned that she does not understand how many teens who are expecting a baby think their life's will be miserable. She said "estan tontas, they can't imagine the happiness it is to have your baby in your arms." She said that it is understandable to feel unsupported and stressed. Even though it is a hard moment, moms should not feel like if it was the end of the world.

    As I kept asking her the rest of the questions I had for her, i saw she started to look less nervous. I asked her if it was hard to be a mother of three kids and how she did it… She made a surprised facial expression. She automatically yelled "it is extremely hard!" She found out she was going to be a mother for the second time when she was 19 years of age with twins. She was more worried then happy. How was she going to be able to support her three babies? What if she was not able to have enough time for them? She gladly answered her own questions by saying "Gracias a Dios tengo un esposo trabajador y una familia que nunca me dejaron caeer." Until this day I see the hard work she puts in for her family. She graduated high school and sadly was not able to go further for NOW.  But she states that once her children grow up, she will continue with her education. Once she graduated from high school she had to look for a job in order for her little girl to have everything she needed. She was definitely not planning on having more kids for now. When she found out she was going to have twins, her plans completely changed. Now she was going to work even more. She repeated a few times this statement "yo Daria la Vida por mis hijos." I myself, see the great mother she is. She did not let her age bring her down. Vale, is a loving and caring mother. I believe in her, and I know she can do anything she desires in life.