Have you ever wondered what a life for a child with teen parents is like? It can be disastrous or be really nice. You may have see Teen Mom, but we all know reality tv can be scripted. Here are real stories of real children who have teen parents and what it's like growing up in that type of environment.
Heroes
“Mom had me at 16. For a while, my mom did what she could to provide for me. Somewhere down the road she decided that partying and having fun were more important. I spent my childhood living with my grandma and being supported by both her and my grandpa. They did/do everything parents should do for their kids. This may sound mushy, but they really are my heroes. My mom went down a really bad path, and I would have been right there with her had my grandparents not stepped up. They helped pay for college, bought me my first car, gave me a place to live rent free, raised me from day 1, and never once asked for anything in return. I just got my degree, just bought a new car, and landed an awesome job. And now, nothing will make me happier than to walk the stage at my graduation ceremony with them watching” (Source).
You’re not MY Daddy!
“My mom turned 16 a couple of weeks after I was born. My biological father dipped before I turned one and I grew up while my mom grew up. Since my mom was a teenager, I had the luxury of growing up in a house with my mom, grandparents, and uncles- so despite not having a father, there was no shortage of people in my life to fill that space. When I was nine, my mom got married to a man who has ultimately been one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Granted I didn’t feel like I missed anything by not having a father, it was really great to actually have one.
The only really bad thing is that my biological dad (his name is Jaime) had a ton of kids that all call me their brother, and I hate it. I ran into Jaime once at a Sam’s department store when I was about 12, and he said: ‘You know who I am, don’t you? I’m your daddy’. He actually said he was my daddy. I told him I did know he was, and that he absolutely wasn’t my father, and bore no relation to me in any way. My parents then went ahead and signed the papers to have my step-father legally adopt me, and made legal actions to make sure Jaime had to avoid me in every way possible. In the end, it all worked out, really. My mom went to school and took care of me the best she could, and now she’s the president of the radiology department at a big orthopedic center here in GA. My step-father, who I refer to as my dad if anyone asks, is a flight-medic on a helicopter, which is awesome. I’m very close to my grandparents and uncles, and plan to name my first son after my late uncle Alex. I now have a kid brother by my mother and step-dad, which is cool. My parents are 32 and 31 now, I’m 17 and they’re wildly strict. For fair reason” (Source).
26 with 5 kids
“My mom had 3 kids by the time she was 20, and 2 more by 26. I guess we had a normal life. We were not raised by our grandparents because she married my brothers’ dad at 16 and my dad at 19. She did ‘check out’ of being a parent when we were older though. At 12 years old I could come and go as I pleased. Her and my dad got a divorce and she was single for the first time in her life so she wanted to ‘be selfish.’ We had food and clothes and stuff but we made all decisions for ourselves because she was ‘tired of being a mom.’ We were treated as adults from a very young age just because she didn’t want to deal with it. We all turned out really good and responsible. None of us smoked, or drank, and don’t use substances. She gave us the talk and gave us protection soon as we told her we wanted to be intimate with someone. Guys were allowed to sleep over no problem” (Source).
An Affair
“My mother had me when she was 16. My dad was 19. She dumped me on anyone that would take me. My dad was an over the road truck driver. When I was 4, they had another little girl. A year later, another little girl. When the third child was still an infant, my mother started having an affair with a guy, and she did it in front of me. I told my dad. They got divorced. She found out she was pregnant again- tried to pin it on my dad. Little boy came out a spitting image of her new lover. Her boyfriend was abusive to get and me. CPS got involved after a while and told her that the boyfriend goes or I go. She told them I could go since I didn’t pay the bills. My dad told me he couldn’t care for me, so my aunt and uncle raised me. I have nothing to do with my mother. Haven’t seen or spoke to her in over a decade. I have a lot of trouble coping in everyday life situations, as I feel everything is always my fault. Everything seems to come back to me in one way or another. I suffer from bipolar disorder and an anxiety disorder. I’ve started to develop agoraphobia over the last several years. I can’t commit to anything. Haven’t had a steady job. Didn’t compete high school or college. I try though. I don’t think I would still be here if it weren’t for my amazing husband. The man has a heart of gold and patience like you wouldn’t believe” (Source).
“I Hope you’re happy and proud.”
“My mother had me at nineteen and I know I’m a mistake and I’m not supposed to be here. I’ve accepted that. I’ve never met my father or known him. He lives in Colorado now, half way across the country. My mother killed herself when I was five years old, and I was raised by my aunt and grandparents. Might I add, my grandmother is really depressed and hardly leaves the house and my grandfather is out of the country often for work. My aunt only moved in here when I was about ten years old, so for a lot of my youth it was just me and my grandmother in the house. We don’t live in a neighborhood and since I’m also an only child, I was painfully antisocial until a couple of years ago. I’m sixteen now. Academically, I’m doing great. I’ve had a little bit of a love life but not too much due to the fact that I’m still rather introverted. I finally feel kind of normal. Not completely though. But that people accept me and don’t hate me. I was a freak in elementary school. I was raised pretty well though. I don’t believe in any afterlife, but wherever my mother is, I hope she’s happy and proud” (Source).
“Put some ice on it”
“My Mom was 15 when she had me and 16 when she had my brother. My dad was 20 when she first got pregnant. After my grandfather was talked out of pressing charges and/or killing my dad for taking advantage of his daughter, my grandmother had a chat with my mom to discuss options: terminating the pregnancy, adoption, being raised by grandparents, etc. My parents decided to get married and try to make it work. I’ve heard stories about how when we were very little, my parents threw parties with us underfoot and made poor decisions. But around the time I started making memories, they’d cleaned up their act a bit. We were never well off and my parents divorced when I was 10 (there were 3 kids by then.) The only thing to stand out in my mind as a difference in my childhood is that they almost never took us to the hospital. Split your lip open? Put some ice on it. Split your scalp open? Dad’ll sew it up with a needle and thread. You can’t see the chalkboard in class? Sit closer. We beat the statistics that say teen parents will have teen parent kids. I was married at 21 (still young but 8 years later still happily married) and my brother is happily single at 28” (Source).
Never fully Grown Up
“My mother was 18 when I was born. She got pregnant senior year and dropped out. She married to my dad and quickly and they set up shop in a small apartment. That lasted less than a year. So, my mom and her mom raised me. My mom went to night school to get her GED and then more to get training to be a Secretary. We were pretty poor for most if my childhood. But she busted her butt. She also partied still. I remember parties until 2 am that 5 year old me would try to sleep through. She has always been a mom, but she never fully grew up. If that makes any sense. I have all sorts of crazy growing up stories because of her” (Source).
Who Gives the Best Gifts?
“My mom and dad had me at 18, and we lived with my grandparents for the most part. I didn’t have a bad childhood by …most means. I wasn’t abused or neglected at all. I was well taken care of. This seems petty but the thing I hated the most was – is – that every holiday or birthday where gift-giving was involved, it was like my mother and grandmother had this huge spat about who could get me the better gifts, and it was always my grandmother, because she actually knew how to manage money. And whoever gave the better, more expensive gift was the better parent. So I have had to listen, my entire life (I’m 24 now) to my mother complain and moan about how ‘I couldn’t give you nice things like your grandmother could’ and oh my god it still goes on to this day. Just yesterday I got the, ‘Well you were raised by your grandmother and I have to live with that for the rest of my life’. It gets tiring. My dad wasn’t really around ever; poor musician and all that. But we hang every few months and his side of the family is cool. When I was about 14 it became blatantly apparent that my mother was a substance addict – only because she went to rehab. I was oblivious, entirely oblivious, I just thought she was lazy, slept a lot, couldn’t hold a job, and couldn’t keep her word. I couldn’t mentally accept she was an addict until I had to visit her in rehab (I spent all my time focused on schoolwork and spending time at my boyfriend’s house or friends’ houses). So that happened and explained SO MUCH – but I was a self-absorbed, defensive teenager trying not to let other people’s mess ups (including my own family’s) get to me, so I just pretended it didn’t matter to me. That took some years to come to terms with. She’s ten years clean now, but no matter what, anytime I hear someone say ‘I wish I could be a kid again!’ my first thought is ‘NOPE. NO. NO. NO.’ I live my life on my terms with people who know how to keep their word. I love my mom to pieces but man there are some things you just don’t get over” (Source).
Never Tell me the Odds
“My parents were 18 when they had me. Neither of them had their high school diploma or spoke fluent English. They started a house cleaning business together when I was six months old. They would often work 10 hours a day. When I was 3 they sold that business and opened up their first restaurant. By the time I was 11 they were multi millionaires. They beat the odds” (Source).
Get Ahead
“My mom had me when she was 14. She was taken advantage of by her dad. My life wasn’t bad. I grew up with my mom’s grandma and so did my mom (My dad was arrested and is still in prison today). I didn’t even know she was my mother until I was 10, I thought she was my sister. My mom went to college and managed to get ahead. I moved in with her when I was 11, she took great care of me. Obviously she had trust issues and never got remarried or even dated. I guess my dad kinda messed up relationships for the rest of her life. I missed out on lots of stuff, my mom was in school my entire childhood and my grandmother was on disability so we had some financial issues. After I was 13 my mom was financially stabled and had a decent job. Things turned around after that and when I turned around 14 I had a pretty normal childhood. No financial issues, pretty easy going life. It could of been much worse than it was, luckily my mom was able do what lots of teen moms can’t (Which is get ahead)” (Source).
Your life Isn’t Ruined.
“Mom had me when she was 18, Dad was 19, and opposed to a lot of the other comments here, I think the only thing that differentiates me from the norm is just the reaction I get when I say how old my parents are. Dad didn’t do anything illegal, and they married when they had me. They’ve been together ever since. I never grew up thinking it was weird or anything. Only thing that was probably different was that when I was 4 or 5, I rarely saw my dad, as he was in college. He’d always come home quite late. Other than that, I’d say it was a good life growing up. Both sides of my family get along really well. Main thing to get out of this is just because you have a child at such a young age doesn’t mean your life is ruined” (Source).
A Real Father
“My mom got pregnant with me as a junior in high school (grade/year 11) at 16 years old and had me at 17 few days before the start of her senior year. The man who got her pregnant told her he was 18 when he was really 28, this man is my biological ‘father’. When he found out my mom was pregnant he left her. After my mom had me we lived with her parents and her older brother and they were fully supportive of her! They adored me and I was beyond spoiled as a baby, not with toys or anything but with love. When I was three months old my mom started dating a guy who was the grade below her. They fell in love, got married when I was almost 4 AFTER they both got their degrees. My dad worked at a crop elevator and my mom became a nurse. I never noticed money was tight as a young kid, my dad bought my mom a puppy for their one year anniversary and even though I was an only child we had fun. I was again spoiled with love and at Christmas I always got what I asked Santa and mom/dad for. We did move around a lot before finally settling down in my parents hometown when I was 10. A year after my mom gave birth to my first brother. And at 15 she gave birth to my youngest brother. Both are healthy and happy and now 8 and 5 years old! Now, here is the kicker. I did not know the man my mom married wasn’t my biological father. Because they started dating when I was 3 months old, he was the man (besides my grandpa and uncle) who I recognized to love me. I never questioned that my last name on my birth certificate was my mothers maiden name or the fact that the father’s name was not filled in because my mom had me so young. Once they got married I went by his last name without getting it legally changed. They sat me down one day and told me everything. Even though I was upset, I still loved the man who raised me, my dad. He is amazing man and doesn’t have to be a father to me but he chooses to be. I am very lucky. Anyway, after I turned 18 I got my last name changed to my ‘step’ dads last name and I am very happy! My biological father has tried to reach me through facebook, saying that he loves me. I just told him that I wanted nothing to do with him and blocked him. Anyway, I’ve lived a very happy and loving 20 years even with teen parents, not all end up raising crappy kids” (Source).
Sacrifice for Comfort
“My mom had me at 16. She worked her butt off and moved out of my grandparents house in less than 2 years. She provided what she could and we got by without tons of help. She’s a very prideful woman. She left my biological father when he tried to use her for a punching bag when I was about 6 months old. So she broke three of his ribs and I didn’t meet him until I was 13. I’ve talked to him maybe three times. Eventually she married my stepdad, more for security than love. I hated her for it then, because we did not get along well at all. When I was old enough to appreciate it it made me love her even more. She sacrificed many years if her life essentially to make sure I grew up more comfortably. She’s now with a man she loves, and I love too. No sob stories here, my mom taught me to be strong, honest and to take responsibility for my actions and we couldn’t be closer” (Source).
3 Jobs at Once
“I am a child of a mom who have birth to me at 16 years old. My relationship with my mom is unsteady but we love each other. My mom tells me story’s about when I was a baby and how she worked 3 jobs and lived on her own after her parents kicked her out. My dad didn’t stay in the picture very long and I rarely speak to him. My mom is frequently worried about me and at times tends to be a bit overprotective because she doesn’t want me to go through what she did. Overall my life is no different than many others and having a teen mom has not changed who I am” (Source).
A Front row to Life
“My mom had me when she was 17 at the very beginning of her senior year in high school. My dad was never in the picture. The way I see it, I grew up with her. I was there when she graduated high school, her first job. I remember when she turned 21. I was there when she got married too young and then got divorced. I remember when my grandma was diagnosed with cancer and I watched my mom taker care of her every day until she passed. I even remember the moment I realized she was broken. I was 8. But I watched her rebuild and create a life for us. I saw her fall in love for real, and then get married again. I remember when the doctor told her she couldn’t have any more kids, and I was lucky enough to be the person to tell her that the pregnancy test looked positive while we stood outside the bathroom not entirely understanding the gravity of the situation. I was holding her hand when she gave birth to my brother. I’m 21 now and living at college now. I really feel like I’m writing this from the other side of things. It’s amazing to see her have the life everyone hopes for. Happy marriage, cute kid. I’m not saying everything is perfect, but i’m so grateful I got a front row ticket to her life. I attribute everything I am to her and the tough choices I’ve watched her make” (Source).
More like a Friend
“My mom was 17 when she had my sister and 18 when she had me. She was married, but my dad was a deadbeat so my mom worked multiple jobs to support us. We were really poor for a long time. We were on food stamps and welfare for a while. When I was about 12, my mom finally got a decent job. It still wasn’t great ($40,000/year to take care of a family of 5), but her hours were better so she was around more. She divorced my dad during my first year of college, right around the time she started making more at her job. My little sister benefited from this, but I didn’t because I was already out of the house. She later remarried a really awesome guy and no longer has to worry about money. Things are a lot better for all of us. My mom was always really responsible even though she was so young when she had us. I look up to her a lot because times were hard, but she never gave up. And I’ve learned to really appreciate the things I have. And now that I’m in my mid-20s, it’s really awesome having such a young mom. We’re like friends now, we talk all the time and she’s still young and energetic. 10/10, would have her as my mom again” (Source).
Farm Life
“My parents were 16 when they had my older sister, and 23 when they had me, 25 when they had my younger sister. Both my parents finished high school, and went on to get middle class jobs so money was tight but not awful. My mother was in foster care at the time so her only other family was a brother a year younger. My fathers family however ran an apple orchard and farm. So although they weren’t rich by any means we always had plenty of homegrown food. We were also given about 30 acres to build a house on by my fathers family when my parents were in there late 20’s so that helped immensely. We always raised animals so that just added to the healthy food we had access to.
I always noticed my parents were a little different from many of my friends since they were usually younger than their parents. They were weren’t strict at all and I can’t honestly remember ever having the restrictions my friends did growing up. Stuff like curfews and what not. They were also very open about intimacy and substances with us. They eventually divorced when my younger sister turned 18. My dad said he was sticking it out for us kids. They didn’t really have any problems but they had learned over the years that they didn’t really love each other and had decided when the kids were grown they would split you and pursue more fulfilling relationships. My sisters are still pissed off about this, but I was just like, meh, you’re grownups make your own decisions about your life. I still see them and am not bothered by it” (Source).
Dream Car or Child?
“My mom was 16 and dad was 17 when I was born. My parents are still married, 31 years this year. Mom was kicked out of school for being pregnant, and dad joined the marines. The military really helped, when dad got out he got an apprenticeship and a good job. But he did have to sell his Judge GTO because of me, so one day it’s a dream to get one for him. As far as being poor we were for a long time, but my parents were almost exactly like characters in Dazed and Confused. Same cars, same hair, everything. They grew up quick and I owe them a ton” (Source).
Finally a Mattress
“My mother was 15 and my father was 18 when I was born back in 1983. My father was physically abusive towards my mother and they ended up getting a divorce a year after I was born. My mother (17-18 at the time) worked 2 jobs and I spent time with a sitter. I remember when we finally got a mattress to sleep on at night and how hard she worked to keep out poverty hidden from me. I never really felt like we were poor but looking back it was obvious. I think I was lucky because I’ve never seen anyone her age work that hard to provide a seemingly normal life for their child. I’m 30 now, and when she was 30 she was worrying about how to get me my first car. It blows my mind” (Source).
A Trip to Scotland
“My mum was 17 when she had me, to an older man that was 22 at the time, who didn’t take any notice of me until I was 16 but that’s a story for another time. I was a very ill child, when my mum gave birthday to me I was dying but the doctors got me stable, from that point on it was touch and go up until I was about six months old I was in the hospital more than I was at home, going through two lumbar punctures. I had very bad bronchiolitis and asthma and had three different types of inhalers. After coming out if the hospital and getting to go home, my mum couldn’t really cope with her small income (jobseekers/dole) in her tiny shared flat with a brat of a room mate. She would constantly ask her family or friends to look after me while she went out food shopping or whatever but wouldn’t come back for days, going on drinking benders. Although she loved me and showered me with love and any small gifts she could afford, she just could cope mentally, and I don’t not blame her for this. My mum got into the wrong crowd of people and they dragged her down further, she had actually hung about with someone and let me be around someone that would later turn out to be a murderer. Now this destructive behavior contained until I was about 2.5 when she met my step dad, who was a and continues to the best male role model I’ve ever had. He did very well from himself, he was 19, he drove his own car, his own mobile and earn about two grand a week (this was Northern Ireland is 96′) he was my mums knight in shinning armor, come to take my mum away from this place forever. He wanted to take me and my mum over to Scotland for a fresh start. My granny and the rest of my family did not like this, and tried to have my granny adopt me, but that didn’t work. After a couple of months of working things out, my mother, the only dad I’ve ever known and myself made our journey over to Scotland! I genuinely think my dad save my mums life and gave me a brilliant one, I dread to think what would of happened to us if we had stayed in Northern Ireland. I visit my granny and aunties at least once a year as well, so nothing changed in respects to that either!” (Source).
Constant Fights
“My mom was 19 when she had me and my dad was 18. This was actually my mom’s second pregnancy (first was at 17) with my dad but she lost the first baby in her 8th month. My dad also got another woman pregnant at the same time as me, so I have a brother eight months younger than me. We met in 6th grade, he sat in front of me in English class.
My brother ended up being raised by his grandparents, but mine weren’t really down for that. Dad’s parents were huge drinkers. Mom’s parents already had my aunt and her kids living with them. Being raised by teenagers was difficult, although of course at the time I had no idea that they were any different from any other parents. But, looking back it’s pretty obvious 😛 My parents officially split up when I was 7, but the years before that were filled with him trying to be a rock star, playing with his band at local bars and getting with multiple women. My mother only had a G.E.D. so she worked ‘teenager’ jobs at sandwich shops, cleaning rich people’s houses, etc. She’d sleep until 10 or 11am and I remember sitting in front of the television watching morning cartoons and trying not to wake her–father was nowhere to be found. Their relationship was very ‘teenager’ in that they just couldn’t argue properly at all. Toward the end of the relationship I think my mom felt like having a kid there annoying them was part of the reason he was mean to her, so when he’d get home from work (he didn’t have a high school diploma and still doesn’t–he learned a trade) I’d go straight to my room–I wouldn’t even see him walk through the door. This was so much a part of my daily life that I just automatically knew to go upstairs at a certain time so he wouldn’t see me. There was loud music all the time, other ‘teenagers’ came to visit a lot, pretty much grew up on MTV. The immaturity by them would be even more evident during fights, my mom yelling at me to go upstairs, him telling me to stay downstairs, him trying to leave the house, my mom blocking the door and not letting him leave. Etc. One time, after one of his many absences, we were having dinner in the living room. I was too young to realize how awful this sounded, but I said in front of my dad that I liked it when he wasn’t there for dinner because then my mom made fun things like salads. He left later that night (like he ALWAYS did so it’s not like it was abnormal) but my mom took that out on me–told me that I should be careful what I wish for because I made my father leave, and she’s lucky I don’t leave to be with him too. This was completely traumatizing to me at the time but she denies ever having said it. When my mom finally broke off with my dad she was in her mid-20s or so and wanting to do all the things that she felt she missed out on. So she’d go out with her friends almost every weekend, clubbing or to bars. She found a boyfriend and spent a lot of time with him. I was home alone A LOT. A total latchkey kid. We lived in subsidized housing and she got food stamps. She worked at a sandwich shop and would trade those in for real cash. She got a decent job as medical billing person but was fired when she got tendinitis in her hands and couldn’t type anymore. She sued them for wrongful termination and got a pretty decent settlement. She took me to Disney World with that money. It was great, but she probably should have invested it somehow or gotten us out of government housing. We didn’t have much, growing up. Whenever I wanted something the other kids had my mom would get very angry and say ‘Why don’t you call your FATHER’ which is something I wouldn’t do because he was long gone–no visitation with him or anything. When I was 17 I entered a store as he was walking out and he didn’t even recognize me. I’d find letters all over the house–my mom writing to God and asking him for help. We had it better than the other families in government housing though. I remember my mom loaning a woman money and that woman bawling her eyes out because she was so thankful. A lot of people didn’t have phones, but we at least had that.
Dad had many girlfriends, many more kids, and he’s still doing the same exact thing he was doing when he was 18. Mom has a good job and nice life now, but she’s very far behind other women of the same age (in terms of owning her own home, savings, planning for retirement, whatever). So yes, there is my life story. I very likely would have ended up the same way if I’d stayed in the town I grew up in. Somehow, my brother and I both graduated, went to college, etc. I don’t have a relationship with him but I did go to his wedding a few years ago so I know he’s doing well. Being raised by teenagers is like, being raised by teenagers. They just don’t have a single clue. Although they are forced to grow up really fast in the sense that they have to take care of a child, it seems like because they have a child they never truly grow up or catch up with people around them” (Source).
Grew up Overnight
“I was born when my mom was 16 and my dad was 18. My relationship with my dad was always strained. From what I’ve been told he was a pretty carefree guy before I came along, and he had to grow up practically overnight. It’s alway felt to me like, whether he realizes it or not, there’s been some level of resentment there because I was the cause of his life changing. Like if it weren’t for me his life would have been more fun for longer. On the other hand, I wouldn’t trade my relationship with my mom for anything. It’s always been almost more of a friendship than a mother/son dynamic. She trusts my judgement, and I trust her advice. I know I haven’t made her life easy, but I know I couldn’t ask for a better mom” (Source).
Short and Sweet
“It’s just like growing up normally, but you get much better lectures about safe intimacy” (Source).
Dad worked His Butt Off
“I was born when my mom and dad where 18 and 19 respectively, but my brother was born when they were 16 and 17. They both only wanted what was best for us. My dad had been basically been on substances for most of his teenage life (this was in Florida in the 80’s and 90’s), and my mother was just some girl from rural Florida. However, when my brother was born, they were both prepared to raise a child even if they had to ruin their life doing it. My dad’s family was in a very good monetary situation, so money wasn’t an issue, but he still dropped out of college to work to make extra money for his son and his girlfriend, because she had been kicked out of her house. After I was conceived, they decided they wanted to move up north so that my brother and I could get a better education(My father lived in the north east for a bit when he was younger and really liked the area). My dad worked his butt off for 15 years of his life to give us the best life he could possibly give us, while my mom supported him through the whole thing. Becoming a father helped my dad to go from being a substance using city kid to a successful man, with a nice house and a family. And he also gave me a house to live in, food to eat, the best school he could give me, and did everything he could to make me and the rest of his family happy” (Source).
Watch Each other Grow up
“My mom was 16 when she had me, my dad was 17. I am constantly amazed at the job that they did raising me. My dad joined the military so that helped financially but there were still some issues, but all that really did was teach me the value of money. The biggest thing I think that was different between my parents and other parents is that they were still children themselves, I basically got to watch them grow up. Now that I’ve grown I can appreciate what they did for me in order to give me a normal good life. They are both truly my heroes flaws and all and I know I would not be the man today if it were not for everything they did for me to rectify their ‘mistake’ that was me” (Source).
Creepy Creeper
“My mom had me when she was 18. My dad was 21. They had my brother not long after. The first two years were fine but then my dad cheated on my mom and took off. My mom didn’t take it well and we lived with my dads mom for 2 years while my mom went to school. Then we moved in with my moms mom. We were always moving. My grandma was married to some man that isn’t my moms dad and he’s a creepy creeper. He took advantage of me from a very young age until I was 12. He abused my mom and my aunt when they were young as well. As well as my moms friends. Anyway, my grandma mostly took care of me. We moved every two years and when I was in 2nd grade my mom took off without word for a few months. She did come back but was really distant. It hurt a lot. I still worry about her leaving. From then on my grandma pretty much looked after my brother and I although I was still being taken advantage of by her husband. He even put cameras in my room once I developed a chest. My dad was pretty much out of the picture until I was 12 when my brother and I moved in with him. He was abusive as well and I ended up getting kicked out at 15 only to move back into my grandmas house. It was very traumatizing to be around her husband again and to this day I see him once a month and he still touches me. I’m 19 now. I have no contact with my dad. I have an okay relationship with my mom. Financially we were up and down. Right now we’re down. Im not going to say I’m totally normal and happy. But I have a good job, I’ve never been pregnant, Im not addicted to substances or drinking. I’m happy with how I turned out. My brother was pretty babied but he just got kicked out of my dad’s house too. We’re working through it” (Source).
An Unstable Ubringing
“My mother was 17 when she got pregnant with me and 18 when I was born, I’m 21 now and the only thing I have to say about her is this: she tried. Sort of. There were a lot of dangerous situations I was put in, such as my unstable father’s presence (he’s a chronic substance user and all around addict), my mother’s unwillingness to be without a man in her life (this led to an unfortunate physical/intimate abuse incident that happened to me when I was 3, I’ll spare the gory details), my steadily increasing family (five siblings, 2 sisters and 3 brothers, all younger), and my eventual step-father, who was a great man, passed away when I was sixteen due to a seizure brought about by a heart transplant. After he passed away, my mother became understandably more and more difficult to handle, until one day shortly after my birthday that year she called the cops on me for wielding a weapon at her; I was actually cooking dinner for our rather large family and was irritated, so I yelled at her while i was cutting celery for something trivial. I left that day and have since raised myself. I didn’t drop out of high school, apparently uncommon in the South, and have since graduated college with an associates and am now gainfully employed at a well-known engineering and construction firm.
Please try not to get pregnant before you’re able to withstand the mental, emotional, and monetary pressure. It doesn’t hurt you nearly as much as it harms the kid” (Source).
Incredible Mother at only 15
“My mom had me when she was 15 years old. I don’t know much about my birth father. With a great support from my grandmother and other friends and family, turned out really well. My mom is a great individual who for as long as I have known has never not worked. She is incredible and along with my grandmother, We never went hungry, always had a roof over our heads, and everybody got something for birthdays/Christmas” (Source).
Turned it Around
“Wow I am feeling extremely blessed right now! My mother and father were both 16 when my mother got pregnant with me. She had me at 17 and they got married soon after. Though we grew up in poverty, My parents stayed together for nearly 20 years and they were amazing to me despite the fact that we were living on the edge of subsistence. They never abused me/never used substances/ and rarely drank. I knew my grandparents and my parents kept in contact with them. After I Graduated high-school with enough scholarship money to go to the local university with a full ride, I went on to join a volunteer program for a year and with the scholarship money that I got off of it/school I am attending college for Biomedical Engineering-Bioinstrumentation and making money while also maintaining a 3.8. GPA despite the stigma that I am from a ‘white trash family'” (Source).
The real Parent of the House.
“My parents had me at 16. Mama and me lived with my grandparents until I was 4 and then my parents got married. My mama didn’t want to get married just because of me and that’s a good thing I think. I HATED moving in with daddy after they got married. I hadn’t really had to do anything up to this point and slept in my mama’s bed and got my way. I went to bed when mama did around 10 and daddy thought I needed rules. I BEGGED for my parents to get a divorce. At this point my parents were 20 and daddy had to get used to living with me and mama both so I kinda get it. 2 years later my parents had another kid. We weren’t poor, but my daddy got laid off and my sister was sickly. He got another job but neither went to college and my mama struggles to stay at one job very long. I will never forget Christmas when my sister was born. I got a doll a board game and not very much for santa. My grandparents made up for that. I can honestly say my grandparents have spent thousands on my christmases over the years. Money was always tight. I wasn’t allowed to ask for things in the store. When my siblings were born we weren’t brought inside stores. I was oldest so I began cleaning the house and doing laundry and dishes at age nine. I couldn’t play until they were all done and my room was clean or I’d lose tv and reading. My parents had lots of rules for me and invaded my privacy a lot. My mom took 300$ I had earned at my job at 13 to pay bills because she’d spend money on fast food and other things. I wasn’t allowed to shut my door ever or my dad would take it off the hinges. I wasn’t allowed to be alone with a boy and I still find it weird to hang out with a guy if I’m not dating them so I don’t approve of opposite gender friends very much. Well texting is one thing. Oh, and intimacy/substances and things aren’t discussed. You learn at school and I was told not to get pregnant. Bout it.
I’m super close to my grandparents. I hang out with them. I grew up with them and not other kids so I’m told I act like an old lady by my family. People think my dad is my SO because he’s baby faced and I wanna puke when that happens. I have to take care of my mom and as I’ve gotten older I realized I’m the adult not my mom. She ask me to punish my brother in multiple occasions. Idk. Socially I feel like my parents kinda screwed me up. maybe I’m a bad person and just want someone to blame. I am scared of other people. My dad used the ‘scare’ method to get me not to do things. How biting my nails will make me eat poo and die. How walking barefoot maggots can get under your toenails. How if I’m not careful a stranger will kidnap me. I was also blamed for a puppies death once. idk, I rambled” (Source).