When she was 18, the woman (named Gabrielle Gunther) was a college dropout, unemployed, and living at her parents’ house together with her boyfriend. She and her boyfriend had both dropped out after the first semester of university. They had no direction and no plans. A baby was definitely not something either of them expected. Then one day, she took a pregnancy test and saw two pink lines. Just to be sure, she bought six more tests. Every single one came out positive. Even then, it hardly felt realFilled with fear and confusion, she reached out to her sister. Her sister came over right away, helped her book a doctor’s appointment, and helped her prepare for what was coming.
A few days later, the three of them sat down with their mom. Gabrielle was too nervous to speak, so her sister told the news. Her mother, hoping for grandchildren, was ecstatic and thrilled; however, she was not thrilled. After a long 16-hour workday, he heard the news, and he wasn’t happy. Her boyfriend managed to get a job, and things seemed to be looking up. The two made plans together. Then everything collapsed when Gabrielle found out he had been cheating even during her pregnancy. Feeling betrayed and not wanting that kind of environment for her baby, she kicked him out. He moved six hours away for the rest of the pregnancy.
The betrayal brought devastating emotions: anger, fear, sadness, and deep uncertainty. She questioned if she was making the right choice, bringing a baby into what felt like a broken home. She felt like she had failed before her child had even been born. Still, the baby girl was born on a chilly October afternoon. She came into the world strong and without hesitation. Her father was present at the birth, and they even tried co-parenting for the first two days while in the hospital. Afterwards, her father returned to his home far away. Then fear hit: she was now on her own. Dependent on her parents, still with no stable income, and with a newborn.
But she resolved to try her best to give her daughter the best life she could. For three years after her daughter’s birth, they lived with her parents. Without much experience, getting a job was hard. She managed to find a part-time retail job and even enrolled in some college courses. But the job didn’t pay enough, and she felt stuck. Then she got a role as a nanny for a supportive family, a job that allowed her to bring her daughter along and continue college. She slowly gained confidence and stability. With her earnings, she bought her first car (when she turned 21). For a moment, she felt proud. But then she looked at peers, many of them finishing college, going to grad school, getting married, traveling, and starting careers.
She felt like she was falling behind. She still had barely any college credits. Over time, the father of her child came back into the picture, and they tried to co-parent. Their arrangement wasn’t perfect, and she often felt like a disappointment. But she persevered. She eventually landed another full-time nanny job with a great family, a job that became the missing piece in her life. It allowed her to grow financially secure and plan for her daughter’s future. Eventually, she gathered enough savings to move out of her parents’ home. She rented an apartment with a friend, wanting independence despite her parents’ disapproval.
That friendship didn’t last, but the attempt taught her lessons about herself and resilience. Even though she had stopped her college courses for a while, she stayed focused on one big goal: buying a home in a good school district before her daughter started kindergarten. She made it. She bought her first house and secured a stable community for her child. But somehow, despite these achievements, she still felt like she was behind because societal expectations said she should have done things differently: college → steady job → marriage → children.
Her timeline was different. Despite moments of doubt, feeling like a failure, and feeling like a less-than-ideal role model, she keeps moving forward. She still has days when she thinks she messed up. But then she looks at her daughter, a gentle, kind, smart girl, and realizes she’s not a failure. Her daughter doesn’t see mistakes. She sees love. She sees a mom who fought for her futureShe ends by acknowledging that her life might not look like what many expect, but this is her real path. It’s messy, imperfect, sometimes painful, but it’s hers. And she hopes her story can give hope to others who feel like they are behind or have messed up. Because no matter how messy the beginning, with perseverance and love, you can still build something meaningful.
