I wrote this for a retreat I went to a while back...I thought you would like to read it...

"you're pregnant." these words can be the most exciting and perhaps terrifying words in a women's life. So begins the time of waiting, watching and preparing. Nothing will ever be the same again. Our bodies undergo vast changes, while our emotions run wild from anticipation to awe, when we feel the first fluttering of life inside us, to anxiety about labor and our ability to parent. Pregnancy is definitely a thrilling ride.

Being a mom is wonderful and it is tough. So wonderful and tough we all need to stick together, especially since statistically, the odds are against us...Did you know studies say that 94% of teens believe they'll stay in school if they have a baby and only 70% of them do. 15% of the girls who dropped out of high school cite pregnancy as the reason.

Studies also say the children born to teen mothers have alot of strikes against them. They tend to do worse in school and have more learning disabilities, poorer health, higher rates of criminal activity, and higher rates of teenage pregnancy themselves.

But you know what, we can beat the odds. We are not statistics. We need to try really hard to full in to that 70% that finishes school. And if our children do fall into what the studies say we can't give up on them. We are role models now. We got to show our children that they can make it no matter what happens because we made it.