Did I always believe that everything Jason said and did was for the purpose of eliciting some effect in me? Was I that egocentric? Was this the result of my thinking his being born had ruined my life, so I forgot the kid had a life of his own and only thought about how his life affected mine? Had my personality been so unformed when I had him that he simply became a part of it, like a birch grafted onto an elm?
– Bev in Riding in Cars with Boys by Beverly DonOfrio

Early this morning I received a homework help email message from a university student doing a report on why some teen mothers are more “successful” than others. Finding the book pictured above took about 9 seconds, so naturally, my reply to the student should have included something about learning how to use a search engine.
The message, though, made me think about the research I’ve linked to on the subject of teen motherhood here at Babylune.
Motherhood, in general, has few benchmarks for success. Basically, I seem to spend most of my time making sure the kids don’t kill themselves by misadventure …read more

I grew up in a part of working-class Southern Ontario during a time of huge economic turmoil. In other words it was typical, modern post-industrial Western Civilisation in transition.
When I was in grade 10, three girls in our grade (it was a big school) got pregnant and kept their babies. Some lived at home with their parents until they were 16 before moving out, others left home immediately, some stayed with their parents for much longer. All three of them stayed in school while heavily pregnant and returned once the babies were born. There were many people who said that …read more