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I had my first child at the age of seventeen. At the time I never understood why people judged me and gave me dirty looks. I didn't understand why people lost respect for me, and my friends wanted less to do with me. I didn't understand why I saw that "I told you so" look in people's eyes when I asked for help.

I was treated as a statistic, not as a young, single mother.

I am now twenty eight years old. When I see or hear of a teenage mother I click my tongue, shake my head and say "Oh, what a shame." I do not have compassion for teenage mothers, even though I should because I have been there. I know they are going to face hardships that older mothers will never know.

I never realized until my fourth child was born at the age of twenty six, that I was never emotionally prepared with my previous children.

Having a child means giving up your freedom and being completely selfless. You must be willing to give up sleep for at least the first six months. Even after that there will be many occasions where you must stay up all night comforting a sick child, or laundering the vomit out of bedding, or taking trips to the emergency room because of a marble stuck in the child's nose. You must be willing to stop whatever it is your doing when you hear a child cry. You must be willing to give up your life style, your friends, your money.

Teenagers are not ready for this sacrifice. The majority of teenagers are still very much self absorbed. Their main concerns are keeping up with the latest trends. Their main stresses are school work and peer pressure. Most teenagers are only just starting to learn about the real world. They are just getting their first job as a cashier or burger flipper. They are just learning to drive. They are begging their parents for enough money to buy a $100 pair of shoes that everyone else has so they just have to have it too or else they might die!

After having a child the option to buy yourself expensive clothing no longer exists. You must first buy your child diapers, formula, and clothing. On top of that will be medical expenses due to five or six doctor visits in the first year alone, and that's assuming the child remains healthy and never needs a sick visit. Don't forget child care expenses, which today runs over $100 a week for an infant.

Obviously teenage mothers don't have a career or steady income, so who is picking up the majority of the financial aspects of having a child? The teenage mother's parents. Rarely do they get a say in the matter

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