by Kimberly Roos

Created on: May 27, 2009   Last Updated: May 29, 2009

When I was sixteen years old, I came home pregnant. As my mother was leaving for work one evening, I tried to tell her that we needed to talk. Her response was simply "You are pregnant, I know. We will talk later."

I attended a Catholic Church growing up, with my father's side of the family, so needless to say, I did not believe in abortion. At sixteen, I thought I knew everything and I was ready to be a mother. Now, when I see a young pregnant girl, it makes me want to cry. I know what they have ahead of them and they have no idea.

When I finally sat down with my mother to talk, she made several mistakes. She thought that by challenging me I would want to give up. Let's not forget, at sixteen, you think you know everything. The first thing she said was that I needed to get a job so I would be able to support my baby. Of course that was no problem; I was sixteen and invincible, and I was going to do it.

Next, she told me if I was old enough to have a baby, then I was old enough to live on my own and raise that baby. I just sat quietly and agreed. Our lease was going to be up about three months after I gave birth and I would need to find my own place to live. While all of this seems to be "Tough Love," believe me, it got worse.

The next thing I did was head to my boyfriend's house so we could have a talk with his mother, who I will refer to as my mother-in-law from now on. Her first suggestion was abortion. I explained that I didn't believe in abortion, at which point she told her son that since I had made the decision to keep the baby, then the baby should be my responsibility. She explained to him that he was still a child and he shouldn't have those kinds of responsibilities. He should be free to be young and have a life.

I was horrified. I couldn't believe that anyone could think that this was my decision alone. It has always amazed me how quickly we forget that there were two people in that bedroom when that baby was created! As you can see, there were a lot of mistakes made, but it only got worse.

I did get a job. I was a hostess at a local restaurant. I worked long hours standing on my feet. That lasted only a couple of months. Once my boss realized I was pregnant, my life at work got much more difficult. Obviously, you can't fire a pregnant girl but you can make her life miserable until she quits, and that is exactly what happened. Although I usually took the bus back and forth to work, I was upset so I called my mother to come pick me up. Both

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