Stop!!! Why do you want a baby right now? Are you looking for love and acceptance? Do you have a hole in your life you need to fill? Do you have a distant or non-existant relationship with your parents? Is someone pressuring you? These are not good reasons!!
Listen to me very carefully; I want to tell you a few things about parenting. If you don't agree with me, that's fine but at least hear me out. The first thing I want to tell you is that having a baby hurts really bad. If you're saying to yourself "Well, I'll just get an epidural." let me tell you something: You still go through contactions and you still labor without it for up to several hours so that you, your baby and your body are ready for delivery. Also, getting an epidural hurts!!
When you become a parent, you give up everything. It's all about sacrifice. You want to buy those cool new jeans? Nope, sorry. You're a parent and the baby needs clothes. You want to go out and have a good time with your friends? Nope, sorry; there isn't an afforadable babysitter and the baby needs her mommy. You want a good night's sleep? Nope, sorry; the baby has to get fed every two to four hours wether you're tired or not. Do you have extra money now? It'll all go to the baby. Do you like peace and quiet? That's too bad 'cause you're not getting any for a long time if you have a baby. Do you like boyfriends and dating? It's too bad but the best way to scare off men is tell them you're pregnant or a mother. Do you want to be financially secure? Do you like to travel? Do you have dreams that include graduating college? You will eventually get these things even if you have a baby, but we're talking a delay of possibly a decade or more. Your friends won't know how to relate to you. They're talking prom and you're talking diapers. Older people with babies don't understand you, they're talking paying for their children's college and you're talking about paying for yours. Everything that's difficult about having a baby when you're older and secure is ten times more difficult when you're young and untried and half the good things aren't there either!
It's a really tough road, tougher than you will ever know untill you're on it. If you aren't pregnant yet, you aren't on that road. You don't have to deal with all of that and more. You have a life, a bright future and a hole host of wonderful choices and options that you won't have if you decide to get pregnant. Every single time you have sex you are saying "Yes, I'm ready to be pregnant. I'm ready to be a wise, mature, responsible adult. I'm ready for motherhood. In fact, this is the best time for motherhood! I'm ready to be thrust into a crises prengancy situation and my partner is ready, too. Being a parent would be no problem for me now." That's the risk you are taking!! This is what you are taking onto your shoulders and the really stupid thing is that you don't have to! I don't care how mature you are or how financially stable you are or how committed you are to your partner, if you are under 19, you can wait and you and your future children will be better for it. Think about it. Even if you feel like your life is going no where, even if the number one thing on your list of aspirations is to be a mother, you will be better off waiting. There's nothing wrong with wanting a baby or with wanting to be a parent. But if you wait you can learn more and you give yourself the skills to be the very best mom you can be. You future children are worth you waiting and if you don't think so, you have no business getting pregnant at all.
By the way, you want a taste of parenthood? This has taken me over an hour to write this and it should have taken fifteen minutes. Want to know why it took so long? Because I have a wonderful 18 month old who I can't leave unsupervised for a second. I had to get him off the table, rescue him from the cat, rescue the cat from him, clean up after him, clean up some more, change him, make him a snack, hold him, play with him, chase him, keep him out of trouble, etc., etc. And this goes on all day. You want to talk about tired and busy! Children are worth it but they are also worth you taking the time to learn how to be the best you that you can be so that you can be the best parent, too. Believe me, if I knew then what I know now, I would have waited. I can't turn back time so I deal with it. You, however, don't have to. Please don't.
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