This morning my mother came through the door in her scrubs, which smelled like baby powder since she works with premature babies. She was tired, but wanted to tell me a story from work anyway.

“Last night a young woman, about eighteen, came into the unit with a newborn baby. As the nurses took the infant away she told me about the delivery. I was startled to hear that she didn’t know she was pregnant until she delivered the child in her bathroom. Now, she’s a big girl, so that’s understandable.”

While she was telling the story I was trying to process what I was hearing. How could she not know she was pregnant?

“Didn’t she notice that she was skipping almost nine periods?” I asked.

“Well, she said that she had skipped only a few periods, and had thought nothing strange about it. It isn‘t common for a woman to have periods while pregnant, but it has been recorded,” Mom said.

My mother continued to tell me about how her boyfriend had run into the unit literally sobbing. This was a tough guy, one you wouldn’t think cries. Nevertheless, he did. He had no idea he was about to become a father. I thought about the shock he must be dealing with and how his life was changed forever.

As my mother went to sleep I sat on the sofa and thought about the pregnancy. I realized the girl was only one year older than me, and that’s what hit me like a ton of bricks. This could have happened to me! If I wasn’t so cautious around boys and simply did whatever I wanted, I could very well end up in her situation.

I realized how many teen mothers never thought it could happen to them. Precaution was taken and that was that. They lived their lives normally until they realized they were pregnant. Things do go wrong in life, and it’s all about our choices.

Images of pregnant teens entered my mind. They must feel so much pain and so much disgust in themselves. As they walk through the mall, looking for clothes that will cover their bulging belly, they face shame and humiliation. The older people judge and the boys leer. They must be thinking how easy she was, but to her it’s not like that. It was a mistake, one that took away her freedom.

The girl’s future is so uncertain. Perhaps her boyfriend will propose to her, and they will raise the baby together. The child would grow up knowing who had created him or her. The sad thing is, this will most likely not be the case.

The truth is that most things don’t end happily in life. The girl will most likely either put the child up for adoption or give up everything - friends, school, and freedom - to raise her baby. Life looks very dim for her right now, and I truly pity her.

I thought about all the famous teen mothers, like Bristol Palin and Jamie Lynn Spears. They had to face public judgment and were in the spotlight everywhere they went, for all the wrong reasons. Their lives had been drastically changed by one mistake.

It’s hard to imagine what life as a teen mom is like. I want to reach out there, and comfort them. I don’t want to know their pain, but then again, I want to help. They are just like me, only they’ve gone through a traumatic life-altering experience. One mistake can change everything, and that’s what we must all learn, in one way or another. These teen moms simply learn sooner than others.

I decided to write down these thoughts, to share this experience with people, and to help them understand how much pain these teen moms are in. My mother’s story helped open my eyes to the important social issues that we hear about everyday. I’m thankful to her for helping me realize that I can make a difference by empowering others to be strong and learn from their mistakes. In the end, I pray that we, teenagers alike, can make this difference.