Ever so often we find ourselves scrolling down articles and writings on the internet associating teenage pregnancy and motherhood with poor educational achievements, poor social and mental health, social isolation, poverty and related factors. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, teen moms might just as well boycott the internet with all its negativity and clamor about how teenage motherhood is supposed to make your nose wrinkle and lips purse in disgust. Is that all what teenage motherhood is to get?

Teen moms on Mother’s Day

Ask several women what they think the ideal age for pregnancy is and you’ll get wildly different answers. Those who give birth in their early or mid-20’s have the advantage of their uber-resiliant bodies that can withstand the rainy days of pregnancy and birth. Then there are those who give birth in their early 30’s who are thankful they established their career before taking a maternity leave while women in their 40’s give birth with a strong sense of self. But what about giving birth in the teenage? Back in our days it wasn’t an option to give birth to a baby in teenage. The internet however shows a drastic increase in teenage birth rate accompanied by poverty, poor educational achievements and socio-economic disadvantage. The internet has time and again conditioned us into supposing that teenage motherhood is tough. Well, motherhood at any age is tough and tougher still if you have a low threshold for pain. Why then are teen moms targeted with disapproval and discussed with disdain? Don’t they go through it all to bring their babies into this world and raise them up?  And raise them up? Yes, they have made wrong choices in the past but they are worthy of the standing ovation all moms should receive on Mother’s Day.

Appreciating Motherhood

When the extraordinary becomes ordinary, we are in danger. We stop appreciating the things we have and start looking for more. Almost 6% of teens get pregnant and give birth to babies every year. Teen moms are thought to live in poverty, drop out of school and face unemployment and poor mental and physical health, but they are mothers nonetheless. They pull all nighters with their babies, they work hard to get some food in their bellies, they watch them take their first steps and finally the baby grows up and is independent. Motherhood is not island breeze and teen motherhood is even harder but there is a lot to appreciate in it. Teen moms surely count the little toes and cuddle up with their babies after a long day of work. That’s what we all do and those are the things we consider bliss. Why should it be any different for teen moms?

Happy Mother’s Day to Teen Moms

 While teen pregnancy may have lots of disadvantages to it, there is one thing that makes it very special: motherhood. That’s what we need to appreciate not only on Mother’s Day but all year round.