Inspiring Story of the Day

So my faith in humanity is somewhat restored after watching more reality TV. A phrase I never thought I'd utter, I know.

There's a series on the BBC called "Underage and Pregnant". Already, the outlook seems grim. Irresponsible and pregnant teens who don't understand the challenges of motherhood? Nope. At least, not in the episode I watched.

16-year-old Abby lives in the same town as us (I immediately recognised the street where her mom's house is) and at the time of filming for this show had a 7-month-old son named Riley. Not only is Abby staying in school and taking an amazing-sounding 13 GCSEs (and preparing to go to college afterwards!), but her little boy is disabled with a condition called Moebius Syndrome.

I'm doubly impressed by this girl. Not only did having her son make her step up her game and insist upon being able to give that baby the best future she possibly could, but despite the doctors' insistence that he might be severely disabled, she was determined to give her son a chance at life. As it turns out, according to the program, his condition is something he can live with...and not only live with, but have a mostly normal life. I think either of those issues would have been tough enough on its own: either knowing your baby will have serious health challenges or being a teen mom who is committed to stay in school, and this girl tackled both and looks to be a more responsible mom than some women twice her age.

Let's be honest here: no one who gets pregnant for the first time has any idea of what being a mother will be like. No number of friends' babies or nieces and nephews will be enough preparation for having your own kid who is your own responsibility 24 hours a day, every day for the rest of your life. I think, even with the vast number of positive aspects thrown in, if we were able to know that, we'd embark upon parenthood with a whole lot more trepidation!

In the end, my point is that this particular bit of guilty pleasure TV was a nice departure from the norm as far as these sorts of programs go. It's nice to remember that quality TV can centre around people who have their heads on straight and aren't selfish or ridiculously irresponsible. I think it's anecdotal evidence, yet again, that there isn't really anything thrown at us in this life that we can't handle if we just try and know on whom to rely. Get your groove on, responsible teenage mommas!