Imagine this:

You are thirty years old. Married. Bachelor's, maybe Master's degree. Big house. Three dogs. Expensive car. You've recently brought a new baby to your big home. Congratulations, now you're a mom.

You wake up four times at night to feed a hungry baby. Today, you've changed twelve diapers, pumped your breasts five times, left your mail in the mailbox, and skipped your shower. You got into an argument with your spouse about who will fold the clothes, or taking five extra minutes to return from work. You feel horrible about your new body, and the intimacy is gone. You must have it hard. All this negativity, but your child is fed, bathed, clothed, and loved. It sounds, to me, like you are a good mother. A great mother. A better mother than a young woman, right?

From the very day I announced I was pregnant, I've heard just about everything you could imagine about being so young.

Some told me to embrace that I became pregnant so young because I now had the opportunity to grow up with my child. Most told me how hard it would be; that I would never see financial freedom. My life is over, to kiss it goodbye. They focused on the fact that I was pregnant at eighteen years old in the first place. Those people had everything to say about my irresponsibility, the care that I lacked about my life, and their concern for my child given I was destined to be a terrible mother. I've heard the terms "embarrassment" and "poor role model" thrown around everywhere. I've caught every single stare, whisper, and giggle.

I find myself at a loss, because I can't seem to figure out why anybody would find these things true. Why would you call a young mother an embarrassment, or a poor role model? Why would you tell her she has no chance to make it in life? I haven't found the answers to those questions because there are none. There are none, because I am still a mother.

So, what is the difference between the thirty-year-old woman, and myself, at nineteen? That is a question I can answer you: the fancy car, the Master's degree, the big house, and the diamond ring. We are moms. We have children, and nothing differs about that.

I'm not an expert on babies. I've only been had a child of my own for a month, but a child of my own, nonetheless. I have been peed on, pooped on, thrown up on (literally, projectile vomit). I have been up until daylight attending to a newborn infant. I've dealt with what seems like endless episodes of inconsolable screaming to the point where I've begun to cry, myself. I spend my hours changing diapers, and breastfeeding. I've withstood every hormonal change you could imagine. My once small, young body is now plagued by stretch marks and lose skin. My breasts have been tugged, and pulled, pumped, and engorged everyday since the day my baby was born. Chores go days and weeks on end without being done.

My partner and I have already seen the ugliest part of one another due to the emotional and mental stress that is having a child. We have argued over the cleaning, and the cooking, and the argument itself.. Each of us feel guilty to leave the other one at home with the baby for too long, although alone time is good for us...but so is time together. Time together isn't always possible anymore.

Not only am I a new mom, I am also a full-time student, working a part-time job. I rarely get a chance to go out with my friends, or even talk on the phone, for that matter.

Sound familiar? Sound a little different? Does it sound like I am any less than the thirty-year-old with the big house and the diamond ring?

No, because I am a mother.

I am still a mother, though I'm "only nineteen."

I am still a mother, though I am in college.

I am still a mother, though my pregnancy was unexpected, and unplanned.

I may have been an embarrassment, but I am now a mother.

I may have been irresponsible, but I am now a mother.

You may be thinking by now, "if your article is based on being a good mom, why are you complaining?" The basis of this article is not to complain, but to stick up for every young girl who was belittled, and judged for having a child out of wedlock, at a young age. You are important, and you are appreciated. You are unconditionally loved, needed, wanted, and admired. Mostly by the precious little face who reflects your own...your child. You are all these things and more, even without all those sophisticated things.. Stop letting society tell you you are unworthy of that title. Refuse to let anybody make you feel bad about your baby, and the fact that they were born early in your life. Stop accepting judgement. Set goals. Prove every negative word wrong. Work harder than anyone expected out of you. Give your child the best life possible, and be the best damn mother you can be.

Stop shaming the young mom, and start supporting her. After all, you both have something in common, the most important thing: you are mothers.