Teen mom grows up fast
By Kate Brennan
Published: August 7, 2003
"Michelle (name withheld for safety purposes) was 15 when she found out that she was pregnant, but she wasn't the only one.
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"I didn't care if I became pregnant, she said. " I just figured it would all work out.
Instead, she faced angry parents armed with abortion and adoption threats. And she lost the boyfriend she thought would stay.
"I thought that he would be around for support and extra money, "Michelle said. "I've had to rely on my parents instead.
"I knew that everything was going to change and it wasn't going to be about me anymore.
For extra support, "Michelle went to an alternative school in Moore for pregnant teens. For girls who had never been around children before, the program called TEAM (Techniques in Education for Adolescent Mothers) was able to teach them the basics, she said.
"Instead of Spanish or other electives, we had parenting, cooking and sewing, "Michelle said. "We also had to take care of each others' children in the nursery.
It helps to find support anywhere possible, she said. The alternative school also offered group counseling.
Instead of hanging out with friends and being almost worry-free like other girls her age, she spends whatever time she can with her son. She said that she never really had a chance to become active in school and wasn't sure if she would have. However, she said that she would probably be dating if she didn't have her little boy to take care of.
"I'm shy, so having a child didn't ruin my social life like it does many other girls, said "Michelle.
She is still in high school, has a part-time job and a son to juggle.
"Finding time to spend with [my son] is difficult. I try to get in as many hours at work as possible to help take care of him, she said.
"Michelle will be unlike many teen mothers. She is finishing high school. According to a 1997 study by the Urban Institute Press, less than 40 percent of teen mothers who began their families before age 18 ever complete high school.
The statistics may have a decreasing trend, but Oklahoma is still on the high end with a long way to go.
The teen birth rate in Oklahoma for ages 15 to 19 dropped by 16.5 percent from 1991 to 2001, but at a rate of 58.0 is still above the national average of 45.3, according to the National and Oklahoma Vital Statistics Reports. The teen birth rate compares the number of teen births per 1,000 females of the same age group.
"Michelle, now 18, only wants the best for her child, and like any loving parent, doesn't want the same hardship for her little one.
"[Raising a child] is harder than you can ever think, she said.
