Fourteen years ago I was in my tiny bathroom with my roommate, and my hands were shaking. We just kept staring at the clock, waiting for the seconds to pass so I could flip the test. The moment it showed positive, everything changed. In one breath I went from being a basketball-playing freshman to being a pregnant teenager.
I had no clue what I was supposed to do. I told my parents, and even though they weren’t thrilled, they didn’t waste time. They packed me up, brought me home, and even built me and the baby a little apartment in their basement. They were raising my three younger sisters at the same time, yet still found space and energy for me.
Pregnancy was lonely though. Sometimes my mom came with me, but most appointments I sat in the waiting room by myself. At 20 weeks they told me it was a boy. I remember sitting in the car afterwards thinking, “I don’t even know how to raise a son.” None of my friends had kids. Everyone else was off at school or working.
Two weeks past my due date, they induced me. Twenty-six hours of labor later, I ended up with a C-section. And then he was here. Jaden. Perfect in every way. My parents basically became his second set of parents. They helped with recovery, stayed up with him, and cheered on all his milestones. My dad even went to “dads and donuts” day at daycare because Jaden didn’t have anyone else for it.
For five years we stayed close to my parents. I went to school, worked, tried dating here and there, but never found anything serious. Then I got a job at a country club an hour away and the commute was wearing me out. With Jaden starting kindergarten, I moved closer to work. It was hard not having family nearby, but we found a little circle of single moms and figured it out. Still, I sometimes wondered if I’d ever find someone who would love me and Jaden.
When I switched to car sales, everything shifted. The hours were crazy, but for the first time I could fully support us. That’s where I met Alex. At first he didn’t stand out to me blonde hair, bright eyes, pants too short but he had a smile that stuck. One night I had Jaden with me at work, and Alex took him outside and played catch for almost an hour while I finished with a customer. Driving home that night, I kept thinking about how happy Jaden looked.
We started talking more. A joke about me trying beer again turned into texting and late-night conversations. Eventually, we went out, and I caught myself smiling like a teenager. When Alex met Jaden at a basketball game, I was terrified. But I didn’t need to be. They hit it off instantly stats, NBA players, back-and-forth banter. I knew then this was real.
Not long after, we moved in together and even went to family counseling. It helped us figure out roles, communication, and how to build a strong bond as a family. A couple years later, Alex and Jaden surprised me with a proposal on a family trip. Of course I said yes. We had a beautiful wedding and even turned our honeymoon into a “familymoon” in Costa Rica because it didn’t feel right leaving Jaden behind.
Not long after, Callum was born. Jaden was thrilled to be a big brother, and Alex was incredible through it all. Sleepless nights, endless bottles, and he never wavered. Watching him with both boys made me realize how lucky we were.
Now life is busy school runs, toddler chaos, sports every week. But it’s good. Really good. If there’s one thing I want other single parents to know, it’s this: don’t give up on love. The right person will show up, and they’ll love not just you but your child too.
