2020 Milestones
,

Before we leave 2020…

Before we leave 2020, a year full of devastation for so many I want to share a message I think is important. People I love lost people they love, and I even witnessed my aunt take her last breath and can't get that image out of my head. I've…
, , , , , , ,

A Focus on the Future After a Year of Loss and Lessons

2020 represents a lot of loss for me, as it does for many others. It also represents a year where I was reminded of just how creative, flexible, compassionate, and resourceful I can be and how the lessons from my past can help me focus on the…
Summer shares her tips for teenage parents.
, , ,

7 Tips for Teenage Parents

One of my tips for teenage parents is to understand that once you become a parent, there is no going back. I had my child when I was 15-years old. The entire ordeal was painful and scary, partly because I had to have a C-section. The other…
, , ,

I Ran Away From Home, But It Didn’t Fix My Problems

Teens run away from home because of family problems. I got into an argument with my stepfather and did the same. At the time, I was about five months pregnant. I thought physically leaving would solve my problems, but it didn’t. Instead, running…
, , ,

The Power of Family and Teen Friendships

My friends came through for me in a big way during my pregnancy. I experienced firsthand the power of teen friendships at work. My 15-year-old friends came together with the little they had to throw me a baby shower. That big gesture touched…
, , ,

Public Assistance for Young Parents: Friend or Enemy?

By the time I got to college, I didn’t have child support or help from my parents. I realized I needed additional support so I applied for public assistance for young parents. I needed support like food stamps now called Supplemental Nutrition…
, , ,

Support For Pregnant Teens and Young Parents

I understand that support for pregnant teens and young parents can be hard to come by. In my own life, I had the support of my mother who picked me up from school and took me for my doctor’s appointments. She took time off work to make sure…
, , ,

How to cope with a teen pregnancy

At this point in my story, I was pregnant at 15 years by a boy I didn’t know and whom I hadn’t consented to have sex with. My secret was out, and the guilt and shame were real. Coping with a teen pregnancy had never featured on my list…
, , ,

Surviving Teen Pregnancy Without Losing Your Mind

Surviving teen pregnancy had never featured in any of my plans for my life. In fact, I looked down on other girls who got pregnant. I thought they deserved what happened to them because of their promiscuous and fast ways. Yet here I was in…