From Teen Mom to Now

I've been super sick the past two days so this morning I spent much of my time watching "16 and Pregnant...Where are They Now?"   Which got me thinking.... why are they telling us where they are 10 months  after their show aired?  I'd like to see them 10 years from now.  That's when everything finally falls into place.

Colton was born one week before my 18th birthday.  Man, oh, man did I have the most naive, sugar coated idea of what was going to happen after he was born.  For sure I thought everything was going to be sunshiny and rainbows..... I was so wrong.

Since being a teen mom I've learned...

• That no matter what I am doing, I must do it first and foremost as a mom.  Whether I was 17 or now that I'm almost 27, every I do I must do from the stand point of being a mom.  (It took me awhile to figure this out.)
• Being a teen mom doesn't mean you're a bad mom, it just means you made an unwise choice.
• Girls become moms the day they find out they are pregnant....boys never seem to grow up.
• It is very hard to keep friendships with other people your age if they do not have children.
• There's no time to make sure your face and hair are perfect....your baby just peed through his clothes... get on it!
• You don't have to stay with someone just because you have a child together.  Sixteen is too young to be deciding who you are let alone who your husband will be.
• Relationships must be based off of pure unselfishness.  There's no room for "me, me, me" when the baby is crying and dinner is burning on the stove.
• When moving out of your parents house with a six month old baby at only 18 years old you better love the taste of Ramen noodles and mac n cheese! 
• As a mom, your child's feelings being hurt at school hurts you twice as much as it hurts them.
• You must be warm, inviting, caring and unconditionally loving while also being strong as an ox and protective like a mama lion.
• There's never enough money at the end of the pay period.
• Sometimes you need to put aside a bill for a week in order to go out and do something fun.  Life is too short!
• Being a teen mom is hard work but you should enjoy every moment.
• Time goes by so fast.
• Don't blink.
• Don't sweat the small stuff, there's always tomorrow and things will get better.
• Don't let any one's label define you.  Be yourself.
• Budgeting money never works, something always comes up.
• A night at home on the couch with my son and husband are far more fulfilling than any night at the bar could ever be.
• Being the youngest mom in your child's class can be a little intimidating.
• If someone offers to help, take it.  Trying to do everything yourself because you have too much pride only make you look like a fool.

Time goes by so fast it seems like I don't even remember half of what happened in the past nine years! I do know this, if I could go back there are a lot of things I would have done differently.  But then again, if I changed anything then I might not end up right where I am today.  So I guess the lesson here is to cherish every moment while you have it and be grateful for all the good and bad in your life because in one way or another it gets you where you are meant to be.