There are a lot of young mothers or young pregnant mothers in the news lately such as Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin. When you read about either of these young women, one thing you often hear is that they are planning to get married. While I think that is great for them since it is their choice, I also hope it doesn’t send the wrong message out to some unwed expectant mothers. I wonder if they are wondering if they got married if their pregnancy might be more accepted.

Yes, you might feel more accepted. Having a baby while married is seen more acceptable by much of society versus having a baby out of wedlock, but should you get married just because you are pregnant?

I... more

It’s prom night at some of the local high schools in my town. My nephew and his girlfriend will be attending. She has the perfect dress. He has a corsage for her. They’ll go to dinner with friends before the prom and the bowling after party to end the night. They’ll come home, tired but happy. But before they crawl into bed, they’ll check in on their sleeping son.

I’ve written about my nephew and his girlfriend before. They are teen parents. When they found out that L was unexpectedly pregnant, L was sixteen and T was seventeen. At first, they were not sure what they were... more

In my recent post, You Can be a Good Mother, I discussed how just about any woman can be a good mother if she puts her mind to it, applies herself, and is determined. However, after thinking about it, I forgot to mention two major challenges that one might deal with, that could prevent someone from being a good mother, if they are not dealt with.

If a woman has some forms of mental illness, it doesn’t necessarily mean that she will not be a good mother, however if she does... more

Many times I have heard birthmothers say that they were worried about their ability to parent and their parenting skills. They wondered if they could be a good mother and some may let these fears get in the way of parenting. Of course, these are all legitimate concerns and some women may deal with these concerns and think about before even getting pregnant, but if you are facing an unplanned pregnancy these thoughts may be coming up more frequently and you have to deal with them now as you decide whether you should parent or make an adoption plan.

When I ended up... more

If you are leaning towards parenting, then use your time wisely! During your pregnancy is a great time to get prepared to be a parent. But if you are going to be a first time parent, you may be lost at what you should be doing to prepare. I have a few ideas below to get you started.

1. Take a parenting class and/or read parenting books and websites. Learn as much as you can about being a parent and newborn care as you can. Many local hospitals and community centers offer parenting classes for parents-to-be so call around and see if there is one offered... more

My great nephew, Landon, turns one year old today. We had a birthday party over the weekend celebrating his first birthday. His young parents have been parenting him for a whole year now!

I’ve written about Landon and his parents, T (Landon’s dad) and L (Landon’s Mom) before. His parents had the odds stacked against them to struggle to parent him. They were teenagers. They were still in school. They hadn’t been together very long. They didn’t have jobs.... more

If you are in an unplanned pregnancy and considering adoption, finances and money problems could be one of the largest reasons for considering adoption, but keep in mind that finances can change.

Research, educate, and seek out resources that could assist you in keeping your baby and parenting him or her. Even if you ultimately decide that adoption is the best option for your baby, at least you did your research and can know that you thoroughly checked out all your options.

I’m going to do my best to highlight some of the resources that... more

As I’ve mentioned before, making an informed decision is important and in order to make an informed decision you must educate yourself about parenting and adoption. I’ve already talked about how to educate yourself about adoption, so today we will talk about how to educate yourself about parenting.

1. Seek out other mothers like you. If you will... more

Sometimes people think it’s no longer unpopular to be a single mom today—and compared to the stigma single moms experienced in previous generations, things are in fact better. With nearly one in four births involving an unmarried woman, single motherhood is certainly very common these days. But is single motherhood truly accepted, or just grudgingly tolerated? A recent story from MSNBC reports that more than 65 percent of Americans say single women having children is bad for society. Nearly 70 percent of... more

An article out of the Marion Daily newspaper in Illinois recently caught my attention. The article highlights the Refuge Home, a program for young, single mothers.

I’m not too fond of the name of the home, but the program itself sounds pretty good. This program is an in house program where single mothers over the age of eighteen can come live with their babies. They can stay until their child turns two or sometimes longer, depending on... more