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You hear about it all over the media, at school and perhaps even within your own family. Teen pregnancy has been an issue for quite sometime, especially in the Latino community, and it doesn’t seem like it will go away.
Throughout the nation, statistics show a drop in teen pregnancy rates, but it is still considered a problem. According the Alan Guttmacher Institute in New York, the teen pregnancy rate among Latina teens ages 15 to 19 was 138 for every 1,000 in 2000, which was about a 10 percent drop from 10 years earlier. However, it means that for about every 10 teens, one is pregnant.
At 17, Annie Lara—then Annie Garcia—became pregnant with her first and only child, Alexis. During the time that most people are busy planning their graduation parties, applying to college and dealing with senioritis, Lara was planning the birth of her child.
“I love my daughter, and if she wouldn’t have happened, then I wouldn’t have her,” says Lara, now 24 years old. “But, I should have waited. I would have gone to college, gone to parties and been like anyone else, but it didn’t happen.”
Lara says that because she had assistance—like free daycare provided by the school—and was given time a some time off from school to be with her child, she was able to graduate and take care of her daughter. However, Lara says she realizes not everyone is lucky enough to have that.
Despite the challenge of having a child at a young age and later having to raise that child on her own, Lara persevered.
“Girls think, ‘Oh, he’s going to be with me forever,’ but it isn’t always like that,” says Lara. “I managed to get my own place, my own car and raised my baby on my own.”
Lara is now married, attending college and hopes to become an elementary school teacher. In an extended interview with Latinitas, she reflects on what it was like to be a teen mom.
How old were you when you became pregnant?
I was 17, very young.
What grade were you in?
I was a senior in high school.
How did you feel about becoming pregnant at a young age?
I felt scared and also embarrassed of what my parents would think, people at school and my peers.
How did you think you handled it?
I think I handled it well. I know it was going to be a big responsibility, but I was determined to take care of the responsibility I had.
How did it affect your last year of high school?
It was positive and negative. People would talk about me behind my back. I feel like I lost some friends too, but I still tried my hardest in all my classes to graduate. I thought I wouldn’t graduate because I had to take time off. Just because I was pregnant didn’t mean I was going to drop out of high school. It made me want to stay in school and do better. At least I gave birth during spring break so I didn‘t have to take more time off of school. That was my spring break.
What challenges did you have to face?
Once my daughter was born, getting up at all hours of the night and still having to wake up early to be able to go and concentrate in school was a big challenge. I had to come home and take care of a child and find time for studying and homework.
Now that you look back at it, what advice would you give girls who might be pregnant or are thinking about becoming pregnant?
I would tell them a lot. If you are already pregnant, don’t drop out of school. You can still go to school and raise a child if you have the drive. To those that are sexually active, be careful and be responsible. Wait until you get married or are in a relationship where you can take care of a child. High school is not the time to have kids.
Related Links
This site has resources for teens who think they may be pregnant. It offers stories from teens who kept their children, chose abortion or decided on adoption.
http://www.teenbreaks.com/pregnancy/pregnancyhome.cfm
This site is from Planned Parenthood and has a question and answer format about pregnancy.
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/birth-control-pregnancy/pregnancy/pregnant-now-what.htm
This site provides information for those in Texas who need help paying for childcare.
http://www.twc.state.tx.us/svcs/childcare/ccinfo.html
November 2006
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