There is only one thing that goes through your head when you are 18 and your girlfriend is taking a pregnancy test. Please be false.
Well it wasn't, so that day I was forced with a big decision. Grow up or bail.
I chose to grow up that day.
Everything health class and church taught me about my newfound situation was that my life, or at least an enjoyable life, was basically over. My only choices would be to drop out, flip burgers, and spend eternity poor and unhappy.
"Screw that!" I thought.
Instead, my girlfriend and I got to dreaming. What could our life be like in 10 years if we chose to make the best of it?
Well first off, we would be a family. She wanted four kids because she wanted more than two, and it had to be an even number. Six kids was out of the question for me.
I wanted to own my own company. Mostly because there was this house in a neighborhood around the corner from her parents house. It was expensive. No one was going to hire a college drop out teen dad, so employing myself would be the next best option to be able to afford that house.
Finally, we wanted to help people. It was day one and we could already feel the disappointment and judgement we would face for the next several years. "Are they all yours?" people would ask. "No, we enjoy taking other people's kids to the grocery store," we would say with a smile. Teen parenting is tough and we wanted to make sure people who found themselves in this position in the future would know there was someone who understood them.
Here's the deal. In relationships, a lot of great things happen when you dream together and work towards those dreams as team...always as a team. Since our backs were against the wall from day one, and stayed against the wall for a long time, we knew what it feels like. We knew how to respond. We knew how to join together, put our heads down, and work.
Being a teen dad made me feel like I had something to prove to the world. I had to bust through their poor expectations and make the life I wanted for my new family.
Today that girl is my wife of 11 years. We have our four kids and our business. The house is not as big of a deal as it was before. Our time together is though. She mentors teen moms and makes them know they are as valuable as everyone else is. We still have big dreams, even bigger actually, and we absolutely work together as a team to make them happen.
I honestly believe had it not been for being a teen dad, I would have settled for a more average existence. There's nothing wrong with that...I just love this life I have so much.
I am pumped about Steemit. I think it is a great idea, and I love to take chances on new things.
Here is what you can expect if you follow me.
First, I will bring a unique point a view...one that has not forgotten the place I started from.
I will tell you stories about my life...not give you advice on how to live yours. Some will be funny. Some will be sad, inspirational, and maybe some will be boring.
I will tell you stories about taking risk...going after jobs I didn't qualify for and starting companies I wasn't prepared to run.
Mostly, I want to give you encouragement. Life is tough whether you have a rough story or an easy one. It's tough because we have to get out of our own heads long enough to see reality.
Finally, let me know if you have any questions. I am happy to help you and answer them.