This has been weighing on my heart for a few days now and I felt like it was necessary to share...

Now as my son is nearing 2 months old I look at him and realize how absolutely blessed I am to have him. Had I not had a clear head about me I would have obeyed the demands of his father and had an abortion. Instead I accepted the responsibilities like an adult and struggled through pregnancy on my own (with my only support being my parents) while being a full time student.

Seeing all of these YOUNG mothers (15-19), I want to say, I admire and applaud your decision to step up to the motherhood plate. It's not easy and it never will be now that you have a child to think about, but I can honestly say... It's so worth it. I'm blessed to have my parents and sister to help me when I get frustrated or flustered but not even I have everything figured out. And EVERY first time mother no matter their age or level of support, has at some point felt that fear and uncertainty of whether they were being a good enough mother and if they were doing things right.

To those with boy friends , fiancés, and young husbands that took on the necessary responsibilities of fatherhood KUDOS to them too. Lord knows it's not easy putting up with us crazy and hormonal women.

Seeing all of these YOUNG and SINGLE mothers, I want to say, I admire and applaud your decision to step up to the motherhood plate. I'm 22 years old and I struggling to play both roles for my son. He's only 2 months old and I can say there are times when I question myself. I don't know what I'm doing. I fear for the future questions of, "why don't I have a daddy" and "where is my daddy?" As much as I want my son to know his father, it's just not ideal. In fact it's far too dangerous to allow such a relationship. It's not easy. Even if I said I was "grown" and "an adult" I couldn't sit here and say I'm a better mother than those younger or older than myself. Motherhood is a journey and if you are blessed to be a part of the sisterhood then I applaud you.

If we could all band together and truly SUPPORT those who are younger and older than ourselves maybe we as a female population could be more confident in ourselves and more accepting of others. Instead of saying that young mothers are ill equipped and not ready to embark on the journey into motherhood, let's join hands and encourage ALL mothers, young and old, to be the best they can be for their new legacies. If we pick each other up we can be invincible against the strains and stresses of everyday motherhood and against the man based world we live in.

We don't have to agree with everything. Lord knows some will use formula, some will breastfeed, some will cloth diaper and others will use disposable. Some will be strictly organic and others will not. Some will spank their children and others will use time out. NONE of this determines whether you are a good or bad mother and NEITHER should your age.

Empower those around you and you will feel empowerment yourself.

Motherhood is not an easy thing whether you are well seasoned or a first timer, so stop defining a woman's capability to be an adequate mother by her age and let's focus on lifting ALL mothers up and encouraging ALL mothers to be the best they can be.

👭👭👭👭👭👭👭👭👭👭👭👭👭👭👭✊🏽✌🏽💪🏽