Name:	Cherri (like the wine not the fruit lol)
Online Name:	Cherri
Country:	USA
State:	Maryland
Age:	40
Your Birthday:	7/30/66
Special Talents:	photography, graphic design, illustration, web design, sculpture
Hobbies:	photography, web design, illustration, graphic design, bird watching, mushroom hunting/identifying/photographing, camping/hiking, scrapbooking
Where do you work?	NOYB
Were you working when you became pregnant? If yes, doing what?	no
Are you in school?	not currently
If you've graduated, what is your degree?	I've got one class to go, if I ever get my loan paid off so I can finish. I'll have my Bachelors Degree in graphic design
How old were you when you had your first child?	I turned 17 end of July, and had Chris the 3rd week in August
Did you keep? abort? give up for adoption?:	kept him, and raised him alone
Was it the first time you had sex?	no
Were you and the father a couple?	yes
Are you still together?	hell NO! we stayed together for 6 miserable years though
If you're not together, is the father involved? How is he involved?	no, he never gave a crap about Chris
Were you using protection against pregnancy? If yes, what kind?	sometimes, we used condoms, MANY years later I realized he wasn't using them right, which is why they busted all the time.
If not, was it because you were trying to get pregnant? Please explain:
Did you know how you would support the baby? Support yourself?	never occurred to me
Were you using protection against STDs?	no
How many children do you have?	1
What are their names, ages, birthdays?	Christopher Malcolm (Chris) 8.18.83~R.I.P~7.21.03
Was the pregnancy emotionally difficult?	yes, I ran away from home, we eloped
Was the pregnancy physically difficult? i.e. were there any medical problems?	no not really
What was/is the most difficult experience as a young mother?	raising him alone and knowing he deserved SO much more than what I could ever offer him.
Was your family helpful/supportive?	not the 1st year, but later they were very much so.
Did you stay at home with your parents?	no, I ran away.
Did your family help support you? The baby? Emotionally, financially, or both?	later they did a lot to help us
Do they support you now? Emotionally, financially, or both?	YES!!!!!!!!!!! In every way they can, I don't know where I would be without them
Did/do you need public assistance? How did/does that make you feel?	Long long time ago I was on it, several times during my life. I worked, paid taxes, felt as if I've contributed to it, so I needed it a few times. It made me feel ashamed when I went to the grocery store, and people looked at me as if I were scum.
Was the father's family involved with the pregnancy? Emotionally, financially, or both?	we lived there while I was pregnant, and until Chris was a year old
Did the father's family help support you? Emotionally, financially, or both?	While we lived there, they helped us with diapers, ect..we didn't have to pay them any rent, emotionally, they didn't help at all
Does the child have a relationship with the paternal Grandparents?	no, they never gave a crap either
Do you feel accepted by people your age?	now I do, although when I was younger I didn't, It's still kina weird , because people my own age mostly have very little children, not teenagers
Do you feel like you have it harder than people your own age without children?	definately!
Are you happy with the decisions you have made? (Be honest. . .it's ok to feel bad, we all do sometimes)	not at all
What are your personal goals? (goals for yourself as an individual not as a mother)	To have a successful career in graphic design, to repay my family for all their financial help over the years, to make my parents proud before they're senile, to be a public speaker (talk to kids/teens/young adults about pregnancy and to tell my son's story in hopes it helps them make good choices in life), and to one day have a HEALTHY, TRUSTING, and loving relationship with a man I can grow old with
Have your goals changed since you became a parent?	As a teen, I don't think I ever had any
Do you feel that reaching your goals will be more difficult now that your a teen parent?	I'm far from being a teen at this point, but I feel life is still tough as a result of having my son so young, I have had so many road blocks, but I've not given up yet!
What would you tell a (school age) 12-18 year old girl that wanted to get pregnant?	I would tell her about my experience of being a young mother, how I was unable to offer my son what he deserved, how it affected his life, and how I live with so much guilt now that he's gone. I would explain the difference in how I was with him when he was little, compared to how I am now with children, HUGE difference! I would encourage her to LOVE HERSELF FIRST! And somehow try to show her the impact it has on your child when you are not emotionally, or financially equipped.
How do you think being a Young Mother has changed you?	It's a life long path set in stone, with many hardships, struggles, unfair choices you have to make, and now that my son is gone, I feel very bitter, that it was all for nothing.
How do you think society looks upon teen pregnancy?	I think people feel like they pay for them, because many are on welfare, and don't work. Many teen parents have to rely on welfare, or their family financially, which is a result of their not being able to find decent work that will pay enough to raise their child alone. When a teen hasn't finished high school or even attended any college, they have no work skills that they can use to get a decent job. I think some teens do it as a way to get out from under their parents, some do it so that they will have someone to love them.
Why do you think there are so many teen parents?	lack of parental support, attention, values in the home, lack of communication about sex, birth control, and life goals, LOW SELF ESTEEM! I think many teens don't feel loved by their parents, because they are too busy working to pay bills, and don't spend time with their kids. So they find love through sex, think it (pregnancy) wont happen to them, and BAM it does. Then they think, "Finally someone to love me."
List 5 Pro's to being a teen Mother?	there are NONE.
List 5 Con's to being a teen Mother?:	1)I was not mature enough to make better decisions 2)I could not financially support myself and my child without being dependent on men that were no good for us. 3)I had very little patience with Chris 4)Not having a father/husband which is typical for teen parents 5) Mostly not being able to offer my son what every child deserves (financial security, a stable home-life, proper guidance, and so much more)
What do you expect to get out of being a member of Young Mothers?:	My main goal in re-creating Young Mothers is to inform young girls before they get pregnant how difficult life will be, and how terribly unfair it is to the child.
Today's Date:	8.9.2006