Stop Shaming the Teen Mom

About a year ago, I would of never thought I would be writing an article like this. Every time I saw a belly on a young girl, I would just shake my head and look away in disgust. How could a girl that young even get pregnant? I would think, “She should be ashamed of herself”. And once she was gone, I kept thinking about what a horrible thing she had done. It wasn’t until my Facebook timeline revealed one teen mom after another that my perspective changed.

The Kind Of Girl That Gets Pregnant 

You always think about the kinds of people that you could imagine getting pregnant. There’s the girl who has been around the block, the girl who owns the block, and there’s the infamous party girl who needs a dose of reality. But as time went on, those weren’t the girls who I saw getting pregnant. I saw the girl who made a mistake, the girl who was in love, and the girl who never expected this to happen to her.

The Real Teen Mom 

Every single time I see a young mom on my Facebook feed, they are making strides at correcting the past. I see moms working two jobs, finding a way to go to school, and altering their life dreams in order to make a new life for their new family. I believe that every teen mom should be applauded for that fact alone. It takes a lot of courage, dedication, and determination to look in the mirror and say, “I’m going to make this work. I’m going to make sure my child has the best life that I can provide.” And the fact that we shame that same teen mom because she had a child at a young age is embarrassing.

Stop Shaming 

Shaming a teen mother will not reverse the fact that she got pregnant young, will not help her take care of her child, and will not make you better than her. The only thing that shaming does is hurt the mother’s self-esteem and make you look like a fool. I’m sure she realizes that she is young and I’m sure she has come to grips with the fact that she has a child. Get over that fact and admire her for the courage that she has and the strength that she portrays to her child. Teen mothers need support, love, and affection just like any other new mother. So, stop shaking that index finger at her face and learn to love her for who she is and what she has overcome.