Greetings!
I have female siblings, and during their teenage years, one of the life lessons I would always talk to them about was the importance of avoiding pregnancy before reaching a stable point in life. The thought of struggling under such circumstances is something that scares me deeply. Because of this, whenever I noticed anything that seemed suspicious in their behavior, I would question them a lot. I used to be so persistent that it sometimes led to short-lived enmity between us. Lol.
Now, if my daughter, who is seeking admission into the university, were to become pregnant, what would I do?
Well, I am someone who has always warned my female siblings about the dangers they might face if they cross certain boundaries. If I were to have a daughter, that same warning would be something I would consistently instill in her as a guideline to prevent her from acting irresponsibly. But despite all that, our world today is full of temptation and corruption, and it takes the grace of God for a child to remain faithful to their parents' teachings.
In case such a thing happens, I wouldn't unleash anger or rage, I wouldn’t kick her out of the house, or attempt to have the boy who impregnated her arrested. My main message to her would be that it's time to view life from a different perspective, though I would still support her.
In today’s world, abortion is often seen as an acceptable solution to help a young woman continue her schooling. However, I wouldn't support that decision. It’s a risk I couldn’t bear to imagine. She would carry on with the pregnancy and still continue her education.
Oh, a young girl going to school while pregnant—won't she face mockery?
As I said, it would be time for her to face the realities of life, and since she wasn’t ashamed of doing what adults normally do, she should be bold enough to handle any mockery that may come her way. After all, I would have warned her from a young age to stay on the right path and avoid making choices that could lead to difficult consequences.
Back in our secondary school days, we encountered this situation many times. Occasionally, a classmate would come to school visibly pregnant, looking tired and worn out. To be honest, we did mock them at times because we believed they were trying to jump ahead in life, which seemed true—after all, secondary school is for teenagers, and teenage years are not meant for parenting. It didn’t seem right for a girl in secondary school to be pregnant, as that stage of life is meant to be a time of growth and innocence.
In tertiary institutions, however, it’s a bit different because it’s a place for more mature minds, where even married women might attend classes from their husbands’ homes.
So, in the situation of my daughter getting pregnant while seeking university admission, she would keep the baby. If her admission were to be successful, she would begin her studies while raising her child, and that would be that. I wouldn’t let her take a break for two years just to carry the pregnancy, breastfeed for a year, and leave the baby with her grandparents before resuming her life. Nor would I encourage her to terminate the pregnancy in order to focus solely on her schooling. Not at all!
Well, I'm not a parent yet and I know it's easier said than done.
Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to Hivenaija prompt of the week.