Tough

Yesterday I caught a few moments of MTV's show 'Teen Mom'. I saw a few episodes when pregnant and I was curious to see what has transpired for these girls since last year.

The show profiles 4 high school age girls who are pregnant and follows them through becoming new moms. Many of them now have children who are around the same age as the Shorty (according to when the show airs, I'm not sure what the delay from tape to air is).

As I watched I found myself having the same feeling I get when I read stories about infants and young children dying in horrible accidents or being diagnosed with cancer or whatever. It made me feel sick to my stomach. And that feeling was mostly in relation to the empathy I feel for the girls who are new moms.

I have a great marriage, a supportive family, my own place to live that is wonderful, a job I can earn good money at and it is STILL hard becoming a mom. I can't even fathom dealing with all this at age 17, 18, 19 when I'm still in high school, have a boyfriend who may or may not be present and supportive, parents who are probably not so in favor of me having a kid (and in one case, potentially heading off to jail) and no prospects for a job in the near future.

My heart just broke not only for the girls but also for their children as I wondered what kind of a life is ahead for them. I'm a big believer in children reflecting the kind of parents they have (anxious moms have more anxious children, laid back moms have more laid back kids etc.) You could see these little babies acting out and behaving in ways that have to be at least somewhat related to the world they experience around them.

All of that made me feeIt made me feel profoundly grateful for what I have in my marriage, my home, my extended family and my child. I know there are days that are hard for me and I'm not trying to discount anything that regular old grown ups go through in transitioning to parenthood, but this just put it all in perspective. I am able to create an environment in which the Shorty will thrive. I'm a pretty calm parent and I have a very calm baby.

The bottom line is I wanted to scoop them all up and hug them; talk with the moms and help them so they wouldn't feel like they were going through it alone and give the babies what they need in the way of structure and consistency so they can thrive.

No more of that show for me!!!