Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Being A Young Parent

   Nobody ever told me it would be easy. Nobody ever told me it would be a walk in the park. All that was ever told to me was that it would be a struggle day to day. I remember that day like it was yesterday, we were in a hospital room awaiting the final moments of pregnancy and the beginning moments of parenthood. My life changed that very day.
 
  My daughter came into the world September 1st and it was the proudest day of my life. There I was 19 years old with a baby of my own, a little life that will depend on me. The true definition of happiness entered my life as I held that little baby and kissed her soft forehead, because I knew this was my daughter and nobody could ever change that.

  It has been a tough road and I will never tell you that it's an easy one because it's not. There are daily challenges that come along with being a young parent. For example, work will always be something that has great meaning in your life. Nothing ever comes free and baby's are no exception to this "rule". There are a lot of expenses that you will be faced with such as formula (if your child will be formula fed), and diapers. Both of these alone have, in my experience, been two of the biggest expenses. So work is something you have to have in order to be prepared for this.

  In my time of being a parent (which has only been 11 months) I have been through 4 jobs and the road has been rough but worth it. Don't ever feel bad if you go through a few different jobs, the main thing is finding some place where you can be happy but still be a provider for your new family.

  Anxiety has been an issue through my parenthood and I am still trying to find ways to deal with the feelings I have. I can honestly say that I was not prepared for this big step in my life and if you are reading this, it is most likely that you probably can relate to this. If you are a young parent you can see the difference between your life before and after your child. I can say I was just out of being a child myself and went right into the role of being a father. It was a lot to take in at once and it was almost like shock because here I was still a "teenager" going from depending on somebody to becoming depended on. It wasn't easy but it eventually gets easier.

  Society often frowns upon the "young parent" and they always find ways of making you feel like you made a mistake.. trust me I know how this feels. Over the past 11 months I have been stared at and talked down on. What I have learned through it all is that people will be human and we all have a right to an opinion but we also have the right to disagree with their opinions. Society will talk down on you. Let them. They want to see you fail so they can say "we told you so". My way of looking at it is prove them wrong, beat the statistics.

  If you have your partner in your relationship odds are you guys both are still trying to figure this out, I know my girlfriend and I are still working through the bumps still to this day. Communication is key in this, without communication you will feel like you are alone and that your partner doesn't understand and trust me that is the worst feeling. Always keep in mind that this is a partnership and you both are in it together and you are there to build one another up each day. If you keep an open line of communication, not only will your relationship stay healthy but your child will grow up happy also.

  Struggles come with this life and it will not always be easy. Society will always find a way to be judgemental, but let them they always will be judgemental. The only thing that matters is that you be the best parent you can be to that child of yours and give them a good example on the kind of person to be as they grow. Stay strong because the road gets easier each and every day and you will see all of the blessings that come with being a young parent! :-)

-Joshua

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