Anyone on here have your very 1st child as a young teenager? 14? 15? 16?

[Anonymous]

Any interesting stories you would like to share about your experience?

[Anonymous]

My cousin had her 1st at 15, and is now 17 and pregnant with #2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My cousin had her 1st at 15, and is now 17 and pregnant with #2.

[Anonymous]

The good news: teen birth rates are WAY down over the past few decades:

https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-development/reproductive-health-and-teen-pregnancy/teen-pregnancy-and-childbearing/trends/index.html

Overall rates are about 1/3 of what they were in the early 1990s, and for black girls, it's down nearly to about 1/4 of what it was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The good news: teen birth rates are WAY down over the past few decades:

https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-development/reproductive-health-and-teen-pregnancy/teen-pregnancy-and-childbearing/trends/index.html

Overall rates are about 1/3 of what they were in the early 1990s, and for black girls, it's down nearly to about 1/4 of what it was.

Thank goodness. I can't imagine a bigger setback than teen pregnancy for a young woman trying to advance herself in this world.

[Anonymous]

One of my childhood best friends got pregnant at 14 and had her baby just a month after turning 15. My parents had forbidden me from hanging out with her halfway through 6th grade when she became a "bad kid" in their eyes (got caught smoking and then got caught stealing from Icing in the mall). We still spoke but only at school and our friendship suffered because of this. She still invited me to her baby shower and I got her a gift on my own, but my parents wouldn't let me go. They thought it was appalling that her parents were carrying on as if it was a completely normal situation, throwing the showers, having a big 15th birthday party, the dad remodeling the basement to make an apartment for her and the baby's father to live in, etc. She switched to homeschool after the baby was born and we pretty much lost touch for years. She contacted me on Facebook about 3 years ago because it turned out we had another mutual friend through our kid's soccer team and FB suggested me as a friend. The baby she had in HS is turning 21 this year. That's crazy since we're both turning 36 this year. She has a 10 year old and a 6 year old now and is married (not to the HS baby daddy). It's funny because even though so much time has passed, we both still remember each others childhood secrets. I really wish my parents hadn't made me stop being her friend all those years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my childhood best friends got pregnant at 14 and had her baby just a month after turning 15. My parents had forbidden me from hanging out with her halfway through 6th grade when she became a "bad kid" in their eyes (got caught smoking and then got caught stealing from Icing in the mall). We still spoke but only at school and our friendship suffered because of this. She still invited me to her baby shower and I got her a gift on my own, but my parents wouldn't let me go. They thought it was appalling that her parents were carrying on as if it was a completely normal situation, throwing the showers, having a big 15th birthday party, the dad remodeling the basement to make an apartment for her and the baby's father to live in, etc. She switched to homeschool after the baby was born and we pretty much lost touch for years. She contacted me on Facebook about 3 years ago because it turned out we had another mutual friend through our kid's soccer team and FB suggested me as a friend. The baby she had in HS is turning 21 this year. That's crazy since we're both turning 36 this year. She has a 10 year old and a 6 year old now and is married (not to the HS baby daddy). It's funny because even though so much time has passed, we both still remember each others childhood secrets. I really wish my parents hadn't made me stop being her friend all those years ago.

Why the hostility from your parents?

Once the baby was born it should have been all about moving forward and not looking back.

[Anonymous]

One of my close high school friends had a baby when she was 16. She dropped out of high school, left her baby behind and hitchhiked to Seattle. Last I heard, she got involved with a biker gang and her daughter is being raised by grandma.

[Anonymous]

when I was a senior in HS, for some reason a lot of the girls got pregnant. Many had the babies after graduation. Fortunately, only a few I remember had babies before they were 17. I had a friend who has her first baby at 15, second at 18, and third at 20. She dropped out of hs. She didn’t have to work because apparently she would get money from the state because her father passed away when she was younger. luckily, a lot of my hs friends who has their kids after graduation are doing well

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of my childhood best friends got pregnant at 14 and had her baby just a month after turning 15. My parents had forbidden me from hanging out with her halfway through 6th grade when she became a "bad kid" in their eyes (got caught smoking and then got caught stealing from Icing in the mall). We still spoke but only at school and our friendship suffered because of this. She still invited me to her baby shower and I got her a gift on my own, but my parents wouldn't let me go. They thought it was appalling that her parents were carrying on as if it was a completely normal situation, throwing the showers, having a big 15th birthday party, the dad remodeling the basement to make an apartment for her and the baby's father to live in, etc. She switched to homeschool after the baby was born and we pretty much lost touch for years. She contacted me on Facebook about 3 years ago because it turned out we had another mutual friend through our kid's soccer team and FB suggested me as a friend. The baby she had in HS is turning 21 this year. That's crazy since we're both turning 36 this year. She has a 10 year old and a 6 year old now and is married (not to the HS baby daddy). It's funny because even though so much time has passed, we both still remember each others childhood secrets. I really wish my parents hadn't made me stop being her friend all those years ago.

Why the hostility from your parents?

Once the baby was born it should have been all about moving forward and not looking back.

This is wonderful for your friend. I am curious - did she go to college? Does she have a job?

My daughter had a teacher many years ago who had a similar situation. She had a child around age 15/16, and then had two more children in her late 20s/early 30s. We were the same age when my kid was in her class and I know some of the parents were weirded out by it. I admired her so much for making her life work, though I'm sure she had help from her family to go to school, which opened up a lot of possibilities for her.

[Anonymous]

My ex-SIL had her 1st child at 15 (pregnant at 14, I think). Then my BIL got her pregnant when she was 17 or 18 and married her, raising her first child as his. They had two more kids after that. That first child had her own first child at 18 or 19 and then had two more with the same man, though they haven't married to this day.

[Anonymous]

Didn't Cathy Lanier have her son when she was only 14? 15?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My cousin had her 1st at 15, and is now 17 and pregnant with #2.

Same. Not around here though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My cousin had her 1st at 15, and is now 17 and pregnant with #2.

This is quite common in rural or poor areas.

[Anonymous]

I’m 46. A friend had a baby at 16. She posted pics of his 30th bday on FB. I can’t decide if time flies or I’m old. My oldest is 10. To think about having a 30 yr old son is mind blowing.