I have a friend I’m not gonna name but she knows who she is.
If she’s reading this article.
I really respect her,and never had the pleasure of expressing it to her and giving credit when it’s due.
But there’s no time better than the present.
When we were in school she became a young mum, and was literally thrust into the world of adulthood with only support from her doting parents,me and some few true friends , and virtual no assistance from the father.
You hear time and time again having a baby young.
Your career options become limited, and your life quantity diminishes.
She is the exception.
Having her baby actually gave her life more fulfillment.
She used her situation as incentive to strive for more and her child, as she realized she may have made a premature hiccup, but her child was a blessing in disguise. It gave her the drive to step up the gas on her life.
Sadly there still is a stigma of being a young ”baby mama” even in this day and age.
When the news spread like wildfire, the damage is irreversible.
When people shunned her I never did, as I always felt I would want someone to be there for me ,and stand by me in my corner if I was in that same situation.
Adults at times forget the concept of” peer pressure ”,and that young hormones are still developing, and sadly young girls are vulnerable in a sense amongst sexes ,so can easily go weak on the knees to a smooth-talker.
I always stress girls should be aware of wolves in sheep clothing disguised as horny boys.
They can tell you what you want to hear ,but when the patter of tiny feet comes they scarper.
And guess who’s left to change nappies YOU!!
So if you have that thought ingrained in your brain you will have more self restraint , and most importantly self-love.
But I feel she had the last laugh,she continued her education and got a top job in the city.
And what I find impressive is she said she won’t change her experience as she grew as a person.
And I believe it ,as I was witness first-hand to her growth.
I believe we can all learn from our biggest challenges and advice the next generation which is something she does tirelessly.
I believe things happened in our lives for a reason ,and it’s a test of a character to see how we play the situations out.
I can’t imagine balancing studying and changing nappies, when the hardest decision in our pre-teens was are we having sams 2 for 2 or kfc box meal ,or can I sneakily squeeze in another Hollyoaks episode before I do my coursework?
To me real role models don’t always have to be conventional.
To me, she was a role model because when she made the choice to keep her baby it actually became the making of her.