Thanks to television shows like Teen Mom there are a lot of misconceptions of being a young parent. The show broadcasts the show as if the only problems teen moms face are "teen drama." The show doesn't expose young parenting for what it really is -- hard.
When your young and you become a parent you are forced with the decision to grow up, and by grow up I mean rather quickly. You skip the learning stages and go straight into adulthood which can sometimes be a dangerous thing. Your twenties are a crucial time to discover who you are and establish your life, but when you throw a child into the mix it is a whole different ballgame.
Your problems aren't who stops being your friend or who is sleeping with your boyfriend. Those are small compared to the even bigger issue like: How am I going to be able to provide for my child? When your young you have the time to figure things out like where you'll be living, what your job will be and how you will start budgeting your money. You have years to build yourself and break bad habits, but when you have a kid those years turns into months, days, even seconds.
Once you bring a baby into the world it's time to start getting yourself together. While parents in their late twenties to early thirties have the advantage of finishing school, memories of life adventures and a foot ahead on their career pathway--young moms are struggling even to finish highschool let alone go to college.
As a young mom I am forcing myself to finish college, but it isn't easy. The normal struggles of a college student include studying, clubs, internships, getting good grades and graduating. I deal with all of those stressors as well as finding time for my son, having to sacrifice on what internships or clubs I can join or give time to due to stretching myself thin. Taking five classes a semester is even close to impossible, it will probably take me a total of 6-7 years to graduate from college. I have to question if every single thing I do is bettering my son's future or a waste of my time. I have to choose my dead end job over unpaid internships because even though those internships are going to help me better my future I cannot afford to give unpaid time.
As a young mom you are forced to face guilt every single day. You feel guilty that you don't already have the house or the nice things. You feel guilty that you have to spend time away from your child just to be able to pay the bills having nothing left to show for it. You feel guilty that you don't have some ellaborate savings or endless time to play with your child. You feel guilty because of your age and the disadvantage your child has because of it.
As a young mom you have to face adult decisions like finances, utilities, medical, life insurance, retirement, college funds and an endless amount of debt due to adolescent decisions.
Being a young parent is harder than it looks. Did you know that Teen Mom earns about $65,000 a season while on the average a young mom (or dad) will bring in only $23,000 a year.
