Teen parenting is hard. Young mothers are more likely to be poor. About 80 percent of children born to teens have unmarried mothers who have dropped out of high school and lack the education to attain high-paying jobs to support their families.

Having a baby is the biggest responsibility any person can have in life. Most of the time you are just responsible for you -- what you do on a Friday night or who you want to hang out with at school. When you have a baby, that changes completely. You are now responsible not only for yourself but for a tiny, helpless infant.

And it isn't easy! A baby cries day and night, it needs food -- and those stinky diapers really pile up. While babies are cute, they are also very high maintenance. If you are going to be a good parent, then say goodbye to Friday nights out and hanging out with your friends all of the time.

Choosing to be a parent while still a teenager is a very difficult choice that will have educational, financial, social, physical and emotional costs. In most cases, a teen will need a very supportive partner, family, school and community to be able to raise a child. Talk to teens who are parents and ask about their lives. Do their realities match your dreams for your future? What support do they have, and what support will you have?

Personal Experiences

Read stories written by teens about the choices they made when they found out they were pregnant at Sex, Etc., provided by Rutgers University.