Being a parent is one of the greatest things that life has to offer us. It's a milestone in life that many people look forward to. For some people, that milestone comes sooner than they initially expected. This article is a celebration of those young mothers. There are many stereotypes surrounding young mothers. I wanted to get a look into the lives of some young mothers I know and shine a light on what it is to confront those stereotypes. I interviewed three wonderful women who became mothers at a young age.

The first person I interviewed was my very own sister Brandy. She was 18 years old when she found out she was pregnant with her first child. She told me that our Mom suspected that she might be pregnant because she slept all day. When asked about her initial feelings she said, "Because I was in love with Aj, I was excited and happy. Worried about what others would think but not enough to make me not be incredibility happy. Def not intended though." As she got further into her pregnancy she told me how her feelings progressed, "I was eager to prove I was capable. I knew I was a 'young mother' so I was gonna show everyone. I read and re-read 'What To Expect When You're Expecting.' I learned anything and everything pertaining to pregnancy, labor, newborns, breastfeeding etc." She was 19 when she had my nephew Austin. Young mothers know that there is a stereotype that they have to overcome. When she first brought her new baby home she told me "The first week I had Austin home at our little apartment, the fear kicked in, I thought, oh my god, I'm never going to sleep again!" There are a lot of challenges a new parent has to face, but today Brandy is 29, she has four wonderful boys: Austin, now 10, Landin 8, Hunter 6, and Ryder 3. She overcame those stereotypes along with the other things a new parent has to face.

Next, I interviewed Rachael Davis, a friend from high school. She was 15 years old when she had her first child, Gracie and 18 when she had her boy, Levi. I asked her about her initial feelings when she found out about her pregnancy with her first child. "As a baby myself, my first thought finding out I was pregnant at 15 was that my life was over. Had I only knew, it had just begun." Although her initial feeling were those of fear, she said those changed as her pregnancy progressed. "The closer it got to time for my baby to arrive, the more excited I was about it. I had never felt so much love for someone I had never met before. What I thought was a disaster turned out to be a miracle." There's no doubt that having to face the responsibilities of parenthood at such a young age would be cause for fear, but every mother I talked to has told me that the closer they got to meeting their child, the happier they felt. Still, there are many challenges a young mother faces, "I've overcome many challenges as a young mother. But the biggest I think would be just learning to grow up, learning to take care of not only myself, but someone else too" Rachael is now 21, her daughter Gracie is 5 and her son Eli is 3. She has grown into a wonderful mother for her two children.

Lastly, I interviewed one of my friends from Ohio, Sarah Schamerloh. She had her first child, Tegan, a year ago at the age of 22. Sarah told me about her initial feelings towards finding out about her pregnancy, "I was scared more than anything. My daughter was not planned, so fear definitely set in. I was scared of how I was going to raise a child, and also the fear of what others would think. Having a child out of wedlock is against my family's beliefs, so I was scared of what they would think and say when they found out." Many young mothers face the worry of what others around them will think about the fact that they are going to be a parent, but that doesn't stop the joy they feel as they get further along in their pregnancy. For Sarah, there was a big change in how she was feeling as her pregnancy progressed. "As my pregnancy progressed, the feelings definitely changed.

There were a lot of tears, a lot of emotions but more than anything there was a lot of love. Unconditional love for myself and growing love for my unborn child at the time. When I found out I was pregnant it didn’t really hit me that I would be a mom yet. Once I saw my baby and found out that I was having a little girl is when the feelings changed and the excitement started to set in. You want to give your children the world and more and fear has no place in that." Motherhood calls for a person to care about more than themselves. The love that a mother has for her children allow for her to do that, her children become her world. Sarah is now 23, her daughter Tegan is a year old and they are a beautiful little family.

I asked each one to share what were the greatest joys of motherhood. Brandy responded, "Lots. When your infant cries for everyone else but calms instantly for you. It's a feeling like no other. When you're nursing your baby in the middle of the quiet night and his little innocent eyes meet yours, and you know that you are his whole world. That's the best baby moment!" Motherhood comes with many wonderful joys. When I asked Rachael, she told me, "The greatest joy of motherhood for me would be knowing that no matter how I see myself there will always be two little people that think the light shines out of my butt. Their unconditional love for mommy is the best feeling. I will never have to be alone in life, I will always have them by my side, and they will always be my babies" A mother can live knowing that she means the world to her children, just like they are her world. Sarah told me her greatest joys of being a mother, "One of my greatest joys is being able to watch my daughter grow up and see how her personality forms. She’s only a year old but has such a big personality and is so full of life. Seeing such innocence in a child is a beautiful thing." There is no doubt that motherhood is such a joy. Although it can be daunting at first, each new parent should know the joys that come with raising a child.

Because these mothers have overcome a lot of challenges, I asked them to share some advice to other young mothers. They all had a lot to say to this matter. Brandy told me, "Best advice is not to fall into the comparison trap with other moms! One mom may provide three healthy meals a day for kids but never teach em how to share, another mom might teach her kids to read before kindergarten but live in a pigstye. As long as we do the best we can by our kids. Let other moms help encourage you to be your best, but not condemn because you're strengths and weaknesses are different."

Rachael's best advice was, "You're not living for yourself anymore. While you're still trying to finish up your teenage years and experience what "normal" teenagers do, there is a child who is growing and changing every day, and you're missing it. Don't miss it. You'll blink, and they'll be walking, talking, going to school, driving, and moving off to college" Sarah had a lot of advice to give to other young mothers, "It isn't easy. There are a lot of sleepless nights, a lot of tears (both you and the baby), and the feeling that you are not going fit to do this. But, every sleepless night, every dirty diaper, and every screaming fit is worth it.You need to take time for yourself. Even if it’s just to take a nap for two hours, you need to do it. Don’t feel guilty leaving your baby every now and then. It will help your sanity to either be by yourself or go out for a date with your partner. You need to take care of yourself.Also, have a support system. If that is your partner, that is fantastic. Make sure that you can open up to them about your problems and feelings because you are going to have a whole range of emotions and feelings during your pregnancy. If you do not have a partner to rely on, find a family member or a friend that you can trust and talk to. Even if it’s just to listen to you vent it can help tremendously." I wanted to share advice from mothers who have been there.

There is one last thing I asked the mothers. Since they all had to face the stereotype of being a young mother, I wanted to give them the opportunity confront that stereotype. Rachael answered with this, "I would like to tell others that the stereotype for young mothers is just that, a stereotype. It does not define me or who I am. It does not mean I will fail. It does not mean that I won't have a nice house someday with a paid off car. Doesn't mean my children won't get a college education. Young mothers can do anything that non-parents at our age or older parents can do. Maybe even better, because we have motivators. We have other people to better ourselves for. I am a young, single mother of two. I am proud of that. I am proud of these tiny humans that I grew inside me, that I brought into this world, that I've taught how to walk and speak. And they are proud of me or being there for them more than anyone else in their lives. I may have made life a little harder to establish at my age, but it is well worth it because I wouldn't trade my babies for anything. " Please read those words and hear from a young mother herself. Don't judge people. Sarah also had some words to say about the stereotype of young mothers, "I would like other people to know that just because someone is a young mom doesn't mean that she is a bad mom, or that they are not as important as a seasoned mother. We are all here for the same reason and we have the same goals. We all want to teach our children and raise them to be wonderful adults."

Parenthood is hard for anyone, but it can be especially difficult as a young mother. They have to face all of the challenges of parenthood with the challenges of young life, and the stereotypes put on them by the world. I thought this would be a good opportunity to give some insight on what young motherhood is really like. We shouldn't judge young mothers, but admire them for being able to overcome all that they have. In closing, I would just like to say to all young mothers, I am proud of you. You have overcome a lot. There may be people in your life who look down on you for becoming a mother at such a young age, but know that you have a little bundle of joy who thinks the world of you, so be happy, Be happy for them and be confident in yourself. I am not a mother, but I admire you for all you've overcome. If you need advice, take it from these three beautiful women that I've had the opportunity to talk to. Keep being awesome mothers! Your children think the world of you! You are doing great things!