Dream Deferred

Dream Deferred

            No matter your age, race, or the language that you speak there is always going to be some type of an obstacle in your way. The way you deal with and approach these obstacles are what help to make you the person that you are. According to the Center of Disease Control “about one third of teenage girls will get pregnant before age the age of twenty” (Hutton). Many teenage mothers are told that their lives are over, that they will never go to college or make anything of themselves. Not only can teenage mothers go to college and make something of themselves, they can also get good paying jobs and not depend on welfare for the rest of their lives. With the right mentor and guidance they can get on the correct path.

More and more teenage mothers are attending college and receiving degrees. I for one am living proof of this; I had my first child at seventeen. I was told many of the things that are told to a lot of young mothers. I will admit, it did take a while for me to actually start college because working full time and going to school are not easy tasks. When I turned eighteen I decided to get a job to take care of my son instead of going to school. Even though I was just comfortable working, last year I decided to enroll in school. At first it was hard juggling work and school but once I came up with a routine things got easier for me to balance. I try to schedule classes that are not right after I get off of work so that I have time to work on homework or do some kind or stress release. On the weekdays that I do not have class I work on homework and I devote my weekends to my family so that I am not always doing school work.

 Welfare is an option a lot of teenage mothers choose. “In 2011 $2.3 billion was spent in the public health care sector alone” (Solomon-Fears). These are mostly people who let others talk them down and tell them that their lives were over. Maybe that was the way they were raised so it is all that they know. Welfare dependency is a cycle that has to be broken in many families. A child seeing that their mother has been able to survive and raise children based on government assistance and has not had to work may become cool in their eyes. The fact that they can still have the things that other people work hard for, without having a job, is the American dream for some people. Why work when you can get everything for free?

At the age of thirteen a friend of mine got pregnant. As a seventh grader she did not know what she was going to do with her life or how she was going to support her child. She worked through high school and got a job at a bank shortly after graduation. Last year she graduated college with a degree in business. Women like her are the ones our young mothers need to see so that they can have a positive role model. They need someone who was once in their shoes that can show them that it is not what life throws at you but how you overcome those obstacles that help you to become a better person. You cannot let society turn you into a failure or a statistic; you have to prove them wrong. We need more successful women who were teenage mother’s to mentor our young girls to let them know life is not over just because you got pregnant at a young age. “The value of mentors- they help you identify what is important.” says Mauricio Garcia. There is nothing better than a mentor who can actually relate to a mentee because they know how you are feeling, they do not have to try too hard to relate.

            With a little guidance and encouragement any obstacle can be overcome. Teenage pregnancy is one obstacle young girls have faced for centuries but all it takes is one person to break the cycle and let them know that life is not over. Welfare is not a necessity in life, and college can be attended by anyone who desires a higher education. You cannot let society tell you what you can or cannot become anything is possible as long as you have the desire in your heart to make a better future for yourself. Never let an obstacle block your way, remember you have three choices you can go over it, go under it, or go through it. I chose to go over my obstacle, what is your choice going to be?