Let’s be honest…if you are a young teenager, in high school or college, telling your parents you’re pregnant is going to be one of the hardest things you ever have to do in life.
There are a few things you need to remember:
- Many other women have been in this situation before, and they lived through it!
- You probably know a few women who are close to you, as family, friends or couples, who went through a similar situation in their life.
- Confiding in someone will help you make sense of your situation and help you calm down and make a plan.
At every major decision in life, it helps to have a friend to confide in and to talk to with complete honesty. If you need to talk to someone about your life’s choices, The Hope Center is here for you. The staff is non-judgmental and can help you know how to take on the bigger worries in life, like telling the people that are close to you. The Hope Center can offer peace in a confusing situation.
Some of the women who came to us shared how they told their family that they were pregnant:
Lisa told us how she shared it with her parents: “I told my parents in a letter, and told them to call me after they were done reading it, if they wanted to talk. When they called me a few hours later, they had calmed down, and asked me to come home. We all hugged, cried a little, and made a plan for bringing home a new baby. My parents made me feel loved, not rejected. We all made it work together as a family. Everyone helped.”
Stacy said this about telling her single mom, that she was pregnant: “I grew up with my mom as the only one in the house. My dad wasn’t really around, so the only person I had to tell that mattered was my mom. I told my mom I was pregnant after dinner one night, and that I really wanted to keep the baby, if she would let me, that I really didn’t want to have an abortion. My mom cried, and told me that she would never want me to do something like that, and never wanted me to live with a regret like that. She said it would be hard, but we would make it. My mom wasn’t happy about it at first, but as I got farther along, she was excited about the baby. She encouraged me along the way and was there for me.”
Dina told us this about her conversation: “I knew that for me, it would be hard to tell my boyfriend. I wasn’t sure that he would stick around if he knew that I was pregnant. I decided to tell him at the park, in public, so he wouldn’t get mad and yell at me. He got really quiet for a long time. We just sat there for a while and didn’t say anything after I told him. He took me home later, and said that he would call me. We talked the next day, and he said he needed time to think. I knew he wasn’t happy about it. I carried the baby full term and he came to see me in the hospital. He said he would see me and the baby on a regular basis, and wanted to do the right thing. Every day gets easier for him, and he gets better at being a dad with each month that goes by.”
Every situation is different, and every woman’s story is going to be a little unpredictable. One thing that is always true: it never goes as planned, and you can’t be prepared for everything. People will surprise you! The people that love you will want to be a part of your life now, as well as later, when things start to change.
No matter what you ultimately decide to do, this will be a hard decision. However, looking forward to what may come will help you to be hopeful and help you make the right choice. The Hope Center can help you make the right choice for your life.