“‘She’s out of days at the shelter. She’s due in 3 weeks and has nowhere to go. Would you guys please take her?’
‘So, you’re asking me to take a 15-year-old teenager who is about to give birth? What about after the baby is born?’
‘Well, that’s up to you. Ideally, we hope you can bring them both home together. If not, the baby will go to a separate foster home and she will return to the shelter.’
My head was spinning. Return to a shelter? After giving birth? While her baby was placed in a separate foster home?
We can’t do this. How would I explain this to our young children? Not to mention, we don’t have the space to take a teen mom and baby. This is not at all what we signed up for.
On the other hand, how could I say no? How could I go to sleep at night knowing I could’ve done something but didn’t?
So, my no became a yes. Yes, we would take this pregnant teenager and then bring her, and the baby, back to our home.
My husband and I went into prep mode and worked on making a private room for mom and baby. She arrived later that day and was nervous, to say the least. This was just one more major life change in an already scary situation.
We quickly realized privacy would be a big issue in a house full of little eyes. We laid down
ground rules fairly quickly and tried to let her rest as much as possible. I found myself giving introductions in one breath, and early labor signs in the next.
This young girl was just desperate for a mom, her mom, and she was getting me instead.
The big day came, and we went to the hospital and settled in her room. It was emotional, draining, and a picture of a broken world and a broken system. After a longer than expected hospital stay, we finally headed home to begin our new normal.
We became grandparents to this sweet baby at age 35 and never looked back. This young teenage mom is one of the strongest mothers I know. She is overcoming the world to be the best for her daughter. She made our life better for the time she was in it, and we are so thankful we said yes. It was definitely a trip into the unknown that we are so glad we took.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Tamra Norman. Follow her on Instagram here. Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
Read more stories from Tamra here:
‘I wiped away tears and quit ignoring the calls from CPS. 30 minutes after I told my 1st grade students goodbye, I had a 4-week-old baby placed in my arms.’: Mom says fostering journey is ‘nothing like I imagined’
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