Blog Post By KeaMommy: Amy Jossie

Believe in Yourself

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage! A rhyme known around the block as a “typical” timeline for the “typical” family. 

Guess what! I am anything but typical. I had my first baby, Violet Paige, at the age of 17. I had just learned to drive and there I was going to & from OBGYN appointments like it was my job. Yes, I was scared. Yes, I was excited. What I wish someone had told me back then was IT IS OKAY TO BE EXCITED TO HAVE A BABY. I felt like any time I expressed joy from those little butterfly flutters to nailing down her name, someone was there in the background degrading my joy as if it meant less because I was still a kid myself. 

I felt awkward expressing my thoughts and dreams for her life, like people would hear my shooting star worthy ideas and they would mean nothing unless I was 30, stable, and thriving. I WISH someone would have patted my back and said, “Keep your chin up, this is your daughter. It’s OK to be excited!” Instead, I kept the excitement inside. 

I worked hard to provide for her on my own, worked hard to go to college full-time, and worked hard just because I am a hard-worker. If I had the confidence that I have now, I am certain my pregnancy would have been quite different. The best advice I have for any mother, younger or older, is to have confidence in the fact that YOU are her mother.