Imagine…. being 20 in your third year at your dream school, best university in the world (the University of Michigan #GoBlue lol) and finding out you’re about to embark on a journey you didn't envision for your life (well not at 20 at least); motherhood.
What about school? Do you think that's a good idea, you have a baby will you have time? Are you getting married? The critics roll in and now all of a sudden everyone is an expert on MY LIFE.
I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but what's the stigma around becoming a parent ruins things or hinder you from still pursuing goals and aspirations? No parenting isn’t a easy task, but why is it deemed a problem?
See, for me becoming a mom wasn’t a problem, is was the solution. The solution to living a purposeful life… At the time I was still unsure what it really meant to be a mom, (it's kind of one of those things you don’t know until it happens), one thing I knew and whole-heartedly believed that it for sure is that it was going to make me me better person.
As a 20 year old in my last year the University of Michigan, the number one public university in the country, learning I was becoming a mom was scary, imagine being apart of the 4% blacks at UofM, from a city where many don't aspire to break generational curses of living impoverished lives,
but ultimately became the push I needed to “get my life together” so to speak, I mean I was in college (The Best University in the country; GO BLUE lol ) but by this time I had finally declared a major and thought I wanted to go to nursing school.
No, by any means was it easy, up into that point I didn’t drink caffeine but caffeine saved my life starting my last winter semester with a three month old.
This is when I became the adult I always wanted to be, knowing that I had someone relying on me being the best I could be was the motivator I needed.
All of the accolades and achieves I have gained all have happened with the presence of my son. I graduated from the University of Michigan with a 9 month old and then gained my masters degree all while being a MOM.. nothing is unattainable in life if you put your mind to it, and that goes for moms too. People seem to be under the impression that moms can/can't, should/shouldn’t do certain things but this is a myth. Why can't mom go back to school and finish a degree, why can't mom be CEO of a fortune 500 company? All because she has a child(ren)? Moms are the strongest people I know. Moms make things happen and can do everything they want to.
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My prayer is that my story inspires and encourages the single working mom to never feel guilty but to embrace the responsibility of parenting. Lets share advice, stories and testimonies.
Who says mom can't have it all?