After she was born, I graduated from high school. I am now a paralegal-in-training with a law firm specializing in
guardianship issues. I am married and my husband and I have a 19-month-old son. I feel successful now. But the road still is
not easy.
Being a parent is the most complicated yet rewarding job there is. All the education in the world cannot prepare you for
the ups and downs. There is no textbook to give you the answers, no test to pass or fail, no notes that you can copy from of
someone else. You have to learn through experience, and experience comes with age.
I write this in the hope that one parent who reads this will go home and talk to his or her son or daughter. All too often,
those hugs that we give so freely to our children when they are small tend to come less and less the older our kids get.
You may hear an "Aw, mom" or "Aw, dad," but the extra hugs and kisses will be worth more than any present you can ever buy.
I also write this with the hope that one teenager will read this and talk to his or her mom or dad, or even girlfriend or
boyfriend. As teenagers we feel invincible: We feel the world is ours for the taking, that things like pregnancy and sexually
transmitted diseases can't happen to us.
Every hour, in this country alone, one out of every 100 women who finds out she is pregnant is under the age of 17. It is
up to each sexually active teenager to learn to protect herself or himself.
Take it from someone who has been there. Abstinence is the best policy, but if you are going to have sex, be smart about
it. If you are taking adult actions, then you are old enough to take on adult responsibilities. Being a parent is not
temporary. The title "mom" or "dad" stays with you forever.
First published December 7, 1999
© St. Petersburg Times
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