Any Young Mamas Out There???

[happyhippie]

Hi ya'll. I am sure there has to be more young moms on this site. I actually was recommended this site by a friend, since I was always complaining that no one was "like" me. Ha. I am 24, and just had my first baby last year. I have tried connecting with other young moms at church but I am not very churchy or conservative, so often times, my style of parenting is quite different. 

I also belong to a local mother's group and I kid you not, most of the others are in their late 30's or early 40's. It is exhausting trying to fit in!

[NewBeginnings1]

I'm 25 and I'm always gently defending my parenting styles of my 7mo DS to people who are satisfied with mainstream. I like that age seems irrelevant here!

[happyhippie]

Hi, yes! That is what I feel too, defensive. And sometimes people who are older then me, throw me for a loop. Sometimes I start questioning myself. Wondering if I am making "unexperienced" decisions. 

Glad to know that age doesn't come into play here. Thanks for the response.

[oldcrunchymom]

I had my first just after I turned 23.  All the moms in my moms group back then were 10-20 years older than me, LOL.  Now my kids are teenagers and it's weird to think I'm the same age those moms were back then!  Gettin' old. ;)

[KABB]

I had my first daughter two months shy of my 15th birthday. She'll be 14 this month and I will be 29 in June. I have three others at home, ages (almost) 9, 3, and 2. Annnd we Baby Valentine is due October 28th. 

[Laur318]

I had my DS right after my 21st bday. He's turning 2 this week, and I feel OLD at 23! I've adored motherhood much more than my friends enjoyed college campus life and that's all I have missed. I gained so much being a young mother! And of having an "only child" young, i am able to spend time growing and learning with him.I see myself having twins in my late 30s though

[rachieface]

There's definitely a good amount of young mamas on here!  I'm 22, and my son is 11 months old (today!).  My husband is a couple of years older than me, and we're wayyyyyy young compared to most parents in our area.  However, I am so grateful to have a number of mama friends of varying ages.  I appreciate the things I have in common with young moms, and the wisdom/life experience of women who waited a little bit longer to have their babes!  

[happyhippie]

This is great!  So happy to see other youngies out there. However, I wonder how many would consider ourselves "old souls". I know I am an old soul.

Wow, Jamie, congrats on becoming a mommy so young and making it to 14! That is awesome!

[SithLadyFred]

Yaaaay young mamas! I'm 23 and I feel super young at times to be doing this, but I told myself that I wanted to have kids while young. We're trying for #1 but I hope I'll be a mama soon just like you guys!

[KABB]

Thank you!
 

Originally Posted by happyhippie 

This is great!  So happy to see other youngies out there. However, I wonder how many would consider ourselves "old souls". I know I am an old soul.

Wow, Jamie, congrats on becoming a mommy so young and making it to 14! That is awesome!

[happyhippie]

Best of luck TTC SithLadyFred! 

[zenmumajen]

Hi! Yay a young mama's tribe! =)

I was barely 22 when I had my son last summer! I avoid LLL meetings and mom's groups because I am scared that they are all going to be older and long down upon me. Everyone has told me that I look younger than my 19 year old sister and I have been mistaken as a teen mom. I wish that people (especially fellow mamas) didn't place such harsh stereotypes on people! 

[Graceie]

23 ds 1 is 10 months pregnant with another and yes I run into a lot of older moms in my moms groups and a few closer in age

[happyhippie]

Hi guys!

Zenmumajen, that stinks! I really went through this too, but honestly, I needed community so bad and not one of my friends have had a baby. My main mama friends are all ten years older then me! I am always taken aback when they ask me for advice. I have also come to realize that being a first time mama is new to you at any age. Sometimes it is hard, especially since most of the older moms are "settled" and we are in a tiny shack of an apartment, with no plans to settle any time soon. 

You know, at times, I look at my little one, and I am so thankful I didn't wait a day longer to become her mama. It is truly a blessing. 

[mareseatoats]

I was 19 & single when I had my daughter. I'm 23 now and we have a little boy due at the end of August . I had a really hard time finding other mothers I connected with, not only being young and unpartnered, but because I had DD at a water birthing center and did cloth diapers and attachment parenting. I actually volunteered at an alternative high school for a while to teach the moms about breastfeeding and baby wearing. None of them breastfed, but a few of them did start wearing their babies, which was neat.

Now at 23 I still have a hard time finding other younger parents that have some of the same ideals as we do. I've found that, for me, age matters less than parenting style. Finding both would be very neat, indeed.

[zenmumajen]

Originally Posted by happyhippie 

Hi guys!

Zenmumajen, that stinks! I really went through this too, but honestly, I needed community so bad and not one of my friends have had a baby. My main mama friends are all ten years older then me! I am always taken aback when they ask me for advice. I have also come to realize that being a first time mama is new to you at any age. Sometimes it is hard, especially since most of the older moms are "settled" and we are in a tiny shack of an apartment, with no plans to settle any time soon. 

You know, at times, I look at my little one, and I am so thankful I didn't wait a day longer to become her mama. It is truly a blessing. 

I agree- I need community! I really need to start going to these LLL meetings because I am training to be a doula and I need to involve myself in my birth community. I am just scared they are going to ask me- well what do you know? I have some self-confidence issues I need to work through...

We don't own a home either which is frustrating but at least we are not tied down to a home! That how I have to look at it sometimes...
 

Originally Posted by mareseatoats 

I was 19 & single when I had my daughter. I'm 23 now and we have a little boy due at the end of August . I had a really hard time finding other mothers I connected with, not only being young and unpartnered, but because I had DD at a water birthing center and did cloth diapers and attachment parenting. I actually volunteered at an alternative high school for a while to teach the moms about breastfeeding and baby wearing. None of them breastfed, but a few of them did start wearing their babies, which was neat.

Now at 23 I still have a hard time finding other younger parents that have some of the same ideals as we do. I've found that, for me, age matters less than parenting style. Finding both would be very neat, indeed.

Congratulations! I can only imagine how hard it was to be a single mama and finding other like-minded single mamas! That is SO SO SO awesome that you volunteered at a alternative high school to teach about bf/bwing! I would love to work with teen parents like that! 

[happyhippie]

Agree, huge congrats Mareseatoats! If only I was so enlightened in my teens. I did most of my changing and thoughts on motherhood in the last two years. 

zenmumujen, congrats on becoming a doula. There is always new doulas and lactation consultant, etc. at the local LLL. Sending you lots of confidence and good vibes. 

On a different note, I was a Women's and Gender Studies Major and I like your sig. Rock on mama!

[zenmumajen]

Originally Posted by happyhippie  

zenmumujen, congrats on becoming a doula. There is always new doulas and lactation consultant, etc. at the local LLL. Sending you lots of confidence and good vibes. 

On a different note, I was a Women's and Gender Studies Major and I like your sig. Rock on mama!

Thanks for the good vibes! That is very cool that you were a women's and gender studies major!!! I was a psychology/family studies major and I loved the few classes I had that touched on gender!! Good stuff! =) 

[WifeofAnt]

Hi!  I think I'm currently the youngest of the group.   I'm 21 and have a 4 month old son.  I get nearly zero meaningful real life mommy to mommy time (of course I have zunmumajen now!).  My parents (I'm living with them while my husband is deployed... what a way to be mistaken for a single mom!) want me to go out and join some random mommy or military wife group.  HECK NO!  I can't even see eye to eye with my inlaws and I'm related to them.  I don't need *more* people telling me to "let him scream" or not hold him so much.  Everyone else my age having kids are having 'oops' babies.  They're doing the parenting thing because they have to, not because they want to, and it really shows. Speaking of... I'm waiting for my mom's friend's daughter to have her baby.  She's 16 and 38 weeks.  I hope I can get to her before everyone else does.  She's still not sure if she wants to breastfeed but I'm going to spend some time over there after the baby is born to help her out. 
 

(MDC is being weird on my computer, not showing the little cursor thing in the text)

I've invested so much in this girl... She requested cloth diapers at her baby shower and ended up with 4 packs of size 1, one pack of size 2, and one pack of size 5 disposables!  I was the nice little friend and bought her 8 BumGenius and 6 size small FuzziBunz.  I hope she was able to get some more.

My dad made some comment on how I shouldn't be getting her gifts because she was so young and wasn't married (wtf?!).  I don't care that she's young or unmarried.  She's having a baby and the baby deserves to have as normal a childhood as possible.  People can be so callous to young moms...

Which reminds me, I was asked if my son was my brother the other day!!

Edited by WifeofAnt - 4/9/11 at 5:14pm

[Graceie]

Wife is there a AP group in your area ? or LLL ?? I love my LLL group even though Im the yougest there and single