Teen Moms Unite
© Trula Breckenridge
We all know being a teen mom is hard. The stress is compounded by the sense of isolation you feel. It's important to try and keep friends you may have had before your pregnancy, but be prepared to have them drift away. You still share the same things with other teens, and your interests won't change from having a baby. All the things you liked before are usually the same, same taste in music, same movies, same clothes, but having a baby puts you in a seperate place than teens who don't have kids.
I found it helpful to make friends with other young moms. If you don't know any, walk up to a young mom out in public and say Hi. Chances are she feels just as alone and isolated as you do. If not then she probably has some other young mama friends you could get to know and hang out with. I also liked having other young moms as friends because it provided playmates for my daughter with kids from families similar to ours. As she got older having friends whose moms were also in their early twenties gave her a sense of normalcy.
Which brings us to making friends with older moms. This is something I still struggle with. Most of the parents of kids my daughter's age (12 next month) are in their 40's and 50's, a few are even in their 60's. I have a hard time knowing what to say to them and I know they often don't know how to react to me. I have found it's best to use our being parents as the common ground to exchange pleasantries. As long as our kids are friends and can hang out, I realize that sometimes, that's enough.
Another way to connect with other moms is to join a website community of moms that share the same interests with you. Many of the teen mother websites offer a message board and/or chat area where you can interact with other teen moms. Just knowing that there is a place for you to go read about and discuss your concerns is invaluable. Check out the links featured in this topic area of Suite 101, there is bound to be a website for every teenage mother.
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