Helpful resources for the single parent

This article is not intended to advocate teen pregnancies. The fact of the matter is that statistics tell us that approximately 1 million American teenage girls get pregnant each year. These figures surprised me. That is by far the highest rate of teen pregnancies of any industrialized nation -- and eight out of 10 are unplanned, according to NCPTP figures.

Of course teens should be choosing either abstinence or contraception, but many don’t think ahead on this issue and most are in denial that it can happen to them.

My articles are intended to encourage a dialogue. This is a serious issue and an important one. I want to encourage those who are pregnant to make the best decisions possible on behalf of their children.

We have millions of teen mothers out there already, my family and friends helped me to become a good parent to the benefit of my children, now I want to help other young mothers and or fathers to be the best they can be.

Let’s encourage parents at any age to put the time, energy and efforts into raising their children and help them realize that becoming a parent is a serious and important task, not one to be taken lightly.

The reality is that it doesn’t matter how old you are, when you are presented with an unplanned pregnancy you need a solid support system around you.

An unplanned pregnancy is one that occurs when a couple has not made a decision to conceive.

An unwanted pregnancy is when the pregnant woman, or the baby's father, do not want to have a child, and may not want to deal with the physical, emotional, social and health consequences of the pregnancy.

While unwanted pregnancies are generally unplanned, not all unplanned pregnancies are unwanted.

So what do you do when you get the news, “Surprise you’re pregnant!”

I remember the first thing that I thought of when I discovered that I was pregnant, “My parents are going to kill me!” Well, obviously that didn’t happen, but it still was not easy for me to tell them.

I was 15 years old when I discovered that I was pregnant. Did I truly understand how much it would affect my life? Probably not, but thankfully I had supportive people in my life. These individuals were there to offer advice and to be my sounding board.

What would you do if your daughter, niece or sister told you that they were pregnant? Would you know what to say or what to do? Thankfully Colorado Springs is filled with some wonderful agencies that can offer advice, aid and support that you can refer them to.

If you think you might be pregnant, I would encourage you to confide in a friend; tell your parents, teacher, an aunt or a sibling. Don’t expect them to have the answers, but remind them you need a friend right now and you need someone to bounce your thoughts off of. Whatever you do, you don’t have to go through this alone. Surround yourself with supportive people. Take a deep breath and move forward, you can do this!

It is important to take this seriously and to begin to educate yourself and seek out resources and agencies in town that are experts in this area.

Here are a few agencies in the Colorado Springs, Colorado area that will be of great benefit.

1.) Colorado Springs Pregnancy Center
   3700 Galley Road South 150
   Colorado Springs, CO 80909
   719-591-2724

2.) Life Support Center
  825 E. Pike's Peak
  Colorado Springs, CO
  719-329-1427

3.) Bridgeway Home for Pregnant Teens & Their Babies http://www.bridgewayhomes.org/

     303-969-0515 This is a residential program providing education, counseling, and support for pregnant and parenting teenagers. If you do not feel that you have the proper support at home and may need a place to stay here is a Web site, contact this agency, keep in mind they are in Lakewood, Co but give them a call and find out what they have to offer.

4.) Colorado Dads   www.coloradodads.com
  This is a wonderful program that promotes the father and child relationship. I would encourage you to log onto their Web site and see what they have to offer.       
 
5.) Invest in Kids http://www.iik.org/
  This agency states that they focus on the specific needs of children in low-income families, with the hope of seeing every child in Colorado thrive. They partner with community leaders, care providers, and donors to work toward this goal. Log on and check it out.

Colorado Springs has several great agencies willing to offer you help and or advice. I would encourage you to post a comment and share information on the agencies that you are familiar with and tell us a little bit of what they offer. I’ve met a lot of teen moms, many are taking it seriously, a few in my opinion have no business raising a child, they are not ready and some have failed miserably. The key is to reach out to these mothers, (as well as young fathers) connect, educate, share and become a support system.

This article is dedicated to two of my dear friends who will remain nameless. One made the unselfish decision after carrying her baby to term, to give him up for adoption because she realized that she was not ready for motherhood and I respect her so much for doing so. She sought advice from both family and friends during her pregnancy and shared her feelings along the way.

The second friend of mine, although I love her, refused to accept help from her family and kept her feelings inside. Her son is now living in a foster home healing from numerous broken bones and waiting for the courts to decide who will care for this child. Ultimately she was not ready to become a parent and didn't realize how hard it would be, she failed to reach out for help.

Resources are out there; please share this information with friends and family. No matter the age, parenting is a serious issue and no one should be expected to go it alone.  Don’t take parenting lightly.