by Julie
Just because…
You’re on welfare, you’re single, you don’t know who your kid’s dad is, you used to be an addict, you didn’t finish high school, you aren’t old enough to work or drive, vote or drink, you aren’t married, you aren’t rich, you haven’t graduated yet, you live with your parents, you’ve had multiple pregnancies,... Find Out More
The Department
by Valerie Vickerman Runes
“I can’t do it. Valerie, I CAN’T DO IT!”
“Yes you can Beth. It’s OK. You can do this.”
Reassuring words become a habit after a while. The right words said in the right way at the right time.
“Reach down and touch your baby’s head.”
A tentative touch. A... Find Out More
Midwives Can Change The World by Mary
13 things my midwives did that were revolutionary:
1. Telling me I could be an amazing mother despite being a teen. ("Tell them the Virgin Mary was thirteen, Fuckyouverymuch" was Midwife #1's suggested response to critical looks, whispers and lectures.)
2. Telling me... Find Out More
Here are some resources that you can find online. Look for even more in the EMPOWER zine, coming to a teen mama near YOU.
Reproductive Health
... Find Out MoreAbout Girl-Mom
Teenage pregnancy is not a "crisis" or "epidemic," like so many people would like us to believe. The only true epidemic associated with teen pregnancy is the overwhelming and universal lack of support available to young mothers. The only true crisis is the denial of the fact that teenage girls can be, are, and always have been, both sexual and maternal beings, with the capacity to love, procreate, and nurture.
We love our children fiercely. We protect and care for them like any mother, of any age, would. Through Girl-Mom, We hope to slowly show that to the world.
Girl-Mom in no way encourages teen pregnancy, as some critics have implied. Girl-Mom encourages mothers. We encourage all young women who have chosen to become mothers. We encourage all young mothers to stand up for themselves, to fight for their children, to empower themselves and to defy the notion that being young means that you are unworthy of parenthood.
We do not encourage childless teens to follow our path; face it, it's a tough path. But we encourage all teens that wake to the call of "mama!" before dawn breaks, to do all that they can to empower themselves and nurture their children. We encourage those who, through their own choices and freewill, have evolved from Girl to Girl-Mom. The girls who frequent this site are intelligent, strong, compassionate, socially aware, politically active, and eternally nurturing. Together, we will change the face of "teen parenthood."