As a young mother, I do not think that all teenage parents are neglectful or not worthy of having their children. I became pregnant at 17 and was a mother a week after my 18th birthday. When I was 17 I dressed conservitavely and was with my boyfriend ever since I was 14 and he was 16. We used condoms since I did not have access to pills and only had sex after I turned 17. I became pregnant and chose not to have an abortion because I too felt the urge to become a mother. I continued to make an A-B average throughout my pregnancy and graduated high school on time with my freshman year of college already under my belt. Now at 19, I have an associates of art and I am still with the father of my child. Right now he is the breadwinner while I finish college. We are not married yet because of my scholarships. We are not on welfare, nor are we using food stamps. Our child doesn’t go to daycare because we plan classes and shifts in tandem. At any age, parenting is hard work, but the teenage mom can do it. There are people who adopt children who do not deserve to be parents, but slip through because they have the money.
