How Being a Teen Mother Changed My Life Kourtney Adderton

“The slut! How could she be so stupid as to get “knocked up” at the age of 15?” “ That’s a real predicament for that young girl.” “ I hope the best for her but fear the worst.”

Those were just some of the judgments cast upon me secretly by some who knew me and openly by some who didn’t. Becoming pregnant at fifteen was no joke; I was presented with a real dilemma. It was an ethical dilemma that tested what I believed was right and what was wrong; it was also a dilemma that presented a few tempting options.

Upon learning that I was pregnant, my first instinct was to keep my baby. For one, I didn’t believe in abortion, and I had in the past judged the women who got abortions and pitied the souls that were aborted. I have always believed that if you were grown enough to have sex, you were grown enough to take care of a baby. Being the type of person who believed in taking responsibility for my actions and dealing with all of the consequences, keeping my baby would reflect my character.

Caring for a baby at a young age means sacrificing your childhood; it means living by someone else’s terms and putting that person first. It means you have to wisely manage your time for school, work, and, most importantly, your baby. It also means...