The carefree life she had lived in Torrance, California, was over when she learned she was expecting a baby at 15. The world that was previously filled with happiness, weekends spent on the beach with friends, and playing Mario Kart at home, was nowhere to be found. The worst part? All this happened right before she started high school. The summer of 2010 was no less than a nightmare. While drowning in her present, she had no idea what the future held.
Before the girl’s father moved to Hawaii to take care of his father, as his health kept declining, everything was in place. The father was very protective and constantly reminded her of the boundaries set in the house.
However, after he left, being a child who wanted to experiment with everything, she ended up consuming alcohol, trying weed, and soon started dating, too. Every time the dad gave her warnings over the phone, they were now ignored and did not matter anymore. When she thought of the consequences she could face, nothing could happen to her, until it did!
A few months later, she bought a pregnancy test in a local 7-Eleven store. The sweaty palms and rushing heartbeat could not be hidden, as she knew something was wrong. This was also because she hadn’t gotten her period for a long time now. The cashier, observing how the girl was not feeling okay, tried comforting her with words. She talked with two of her friends, and there she was, standing blank with a positive pregnancy test in her hands.
Without any second thought, the friends gave her two options, both of which were extremes. She could adopt or abort the baby; however, the first thing she did was to call her boyfriend, who assured her that they would raise the baby together. The decision was mutually taken as adoption was a painful process, as she was too young to abort a baby at this stage.
It was time to break the news to the family, as things could not be kept hidden for long. With a million questions running through her head, she first approached her mother, and it was a complete surprise that the mother did not react or argue.
While the siblings cried a little and did not know how to respond, her younger sister embraced the idea of having a baby around in the house. The dad did not get angry, but he was disappointed. She knew that because of what had happened, there was nothing to fix her relationship with her dad again. Everything had changed, but what kept her at peace was that the family was there to support and love her.
Thankfully, the pregnancy had no complications, and in a few months, she gave birth to her daughter, Leiyah. The siblings loved and cherished her presence, and her dad especially flew from Hawaii to see his granddaughter.
Her boyfriend’s family quickly accepted the child, but things fell apart, and the couple broke up soon after Leiyah’s birth.
The mother’s junior year at school was about failing classes, and she did not care much, 24/7, as she was going through many emotions. However, by senior year, when she finally accepted things greatly, she was now thriving! Straight A’s, she soon stood on the stage giving an inspiring graduation speech while the crowd applauded her for her efforts.
The depression did return later, as being a single parent to Leiyah would get stressful, and she did not have any source of income either. It worsened until she went out for walks with Leiyah, the little human who gave her strength.
Still unsure about what to do, she was determined not to give up so soon and started looking for a job. Her efforts and the thought that she wanted to give her daughter a peaceful life, free of worries, landed her a full-time job. Moreover, she soon also started attending the University of Utah to get a degree for Liyeah’s better future. While she is hustling out there for her daughter, Liyeah lives with her grandparents, and the distance makes it challenging, but parents do whatever is best for their child at the end of the day.
Even when it got hard, although she was a teenager and a mom, the sacrifices and hustle gave her the strength to do it alone!
