Since last Fall, I have been volunteer teaching Yoga to pregnant and parenting teens. Tonight there was a celebration honoring the young women and men in this program who are graduating from high school in June.

I hang out with these young women, mostly the women, and for the most part, I feel like they are my contemporaries. But they are not. They are 15 or 16 or 17 or 18 years old. I love them, I love them quickly and easily. We have many of the same worries and concerns - we all have young children. We are all tired and stressed. We are all mothers. But then I think about how young they are. When I had Lavi, I was 32. I had 32 years of being on this planet, 32 years to try and figure things out. To figure out who I am, what I like, who I like. When I think about a 15 year old or an 18 year old, I am astounded by what they have to do to keep afloat. To figure out who they are, what they like, who they like. They have to constantly fight stereotypes and people judging them. They have to go to high school every day. High school. Every. Day.

Many of the fathers of these children stick around, they are involved, they love their children, they love the mothers of their children. They take on the responsibility with the mothers. I love that I am learning this. I love that I get to see this. Tonight, I watched a young father take such good, loving care of his partner. She was nursing their 4 month old baby, he was helping her get comfortable, pushing her chair in at the table, making sure she had everything she needed. I could see the devotion in this young father and I love that I got to see that. I love that these young men are proving all of our stereotypes of young fathers wrong.

Five Day Old Son.  May 28, 2015 — Five Day Old Son. May 28, 2015