If you do your math, you will come to see that I was around 17 when I had my first daughter, Mya. 17 is a not the age many people think of as being in charge of another life. It is not legal to drink alcohol. It is not legal to smoke. It is not legal to vote, yet, I was given this life that depended on me for everything.
I was lucky, however, in the sense that the father of my daughter, John, was a man. He was 19 when Mya was born. He was overwhelmed with the thought of starting a family while we were so unprepared. And, we were very unprepared. But, he stood by me. He stood by me for the big announcements-to tell our parents, that they were going to be grandparents. He stood by me when I quit school, my job, and moved in with his family, and he stood by me when I went into labor in the middle of the night and had our baby. The decisions we made were very difficult. I rested my life in him. I had no money, no job, and nothing to my name.
Many people may say that these decisions were foolish. Looking back, I can see why, and could easily say the same to another girl in the same position. But, because John is a man, and not a dick, I made the right choices for my family.
Now, I am lucky enough to be a stay at home mom. We married in 2008, after being high school sweethearts since 2004. John was able to get his Bachelors in Nursing, and works as a registered nurse to support our family, and we live with no one, in our own apartment. And I am happy to say, through all of our hard work, I love my family, our home, and would not change a thing.
