“Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed.” -Linda Wooten
I have been personally working on a group case report in the past weeks. The subject matter are young mothers, aged 17-21 years old, in a certain village. I usually work in silence but such encounter stimulated my interest to finally break it – wishing the universe would lend an ear to these untold stories. Yes, I am a witness: of hearing the silent lamentation, seeing deep scars barely aided, and wanting to be freed from the shackles.
Herein are true-to-life cases. Some basic changes were made with respect to the names, places, and other pertinent details for confidentiality purposes:
Case No. 1: Angelina
Angelina is a 21-year-old mother of two who is currently separated with her spouse. She ran away from home and is now living with her relatives in a neighboring town. Angelina’s children, a 2-year-old adorable girl and a 4-year-old boy, are under the care of her spouse in the hut house where they used to live as a family before. It has been months since Angelina left and according to her, she has been exhausted of all the hardships in life – from raising her children and working hard to feed the family.
Case No. 2: Madeline
Madeline is an 18-year-old out of school youth who dropped out from school and decided to work as an employee of a fast-food restaurant in the city. Madeline’s unwillingness to pursue her studies started when her grandmother died due to heart attack last 2018. According to her, it was her grandparents who took care of them since childhood, when her mother who is a single parent, left to find work and support their necessities.
After the death, Adeline got involved in a romantic relationship and became attached with her friends who encouraged her to find work in the city. After months of living an urban life, Madeline got pregnant but her boyfriend left her hanging. She went back to the province after giving birth to a baby boy. With these, Madeline and her child’s health is her main concern. She needs support as she is only dependent to the help of her mother.
Case No. 3: Jessy
Jessy is a 21-year-old woman who has history of epilepsy. She dropped out from school after deciding to separate from her parents and live with her partner. She gave birth to her first child at the age of 18. According to Jessy, she used to argue with her spouse especially during financial difficulties. There were times in the recent past when they decided to separate and move back to her parent’s house as her husband was unemployed and she could no longer handle the situation.
Case No. 4: Rose
Rose is an out-of-school youth from a neighboring town who decided to drop out from school and move to her partner’s house in the said village. She got pregnant at the age of 18 and is now hands-on in taking care of her son. Her partner, a young laborer, is usually idling with his friends, reason why he could not help Rose in taking care of their child. Both are still dependent to their parents. Rose’s main concern is the health of his child, who is prone to sickness, and their everyday necessities since she is unemployed and her partner is usually out of reach.
Case No. 5: Danna
Danna is a 2nd year college student in a State University. She gave birth to a baby boy last April 2021 that is why she dropped out from school to continue her work back when she was still a working student. Danna is not in good terms with her mother as her parents got separated due to an alleged third party. She is currently living in the bakeshop where she is working while taking care of her son. Her partner is also a staff in the shop; they take turns in taking care of the child. Danna needs help as she just gave birth this April but she needs to work in order to sustain their needs and help afford the education of her two younger siblings.
Case No. 6: Juana
Juana, a senior high graduate, was 18 years old when she got pregnant and decided to live with her partner under the same roof. They are now living with her grandmother and receives help from his sister who is working in the city. Juana came from a broken family; her mother left them when she was 5 years old and her father had another family when she was 7. From then on, they were only dependent to her grandma that is why her sister had to work in the city to support her studies. Now, Juana and her partner usually argue over financial difficulties since her partner’s income is not enough to support the needs of their child.
Case No. 7: Dianne
Dianne is a 17-year-old girl who has health issues. She decided to quit from school after she got pregnant with her boyfriend. She gave birth just this year to a baby girl. Dianne and her partner is currently living with her family in the same village. The only one who helps her with her necessities is her mother who started to work as an overseas worker – a domestic helper last year. The income of his partner is not enough to support the needs of their child as he also divides his money in order to give a little amount to his parents in the town proper. As of now, Dianne needs help in financing their necessities. She is also not knowledgeable in managing her role as a mother and a wife at the age of 18.
In line with the said report, I formulated action plans and framed a plan implementation. I consider the possibility of working on their individual cases and plan to save the narratives. In time, it would be an honor to actualize the plans because I believe these young mothers and little angels are worth saving.
Now, what can you say about the case of Angelina, Madeline, Jessy, Rose, Danna, Juana, and Dianne? Can you imagine the life of these young mothers and their little angels? How about their spouses? Can you recall similar cases? If you have, please share it in the comment section. It would be best to tackle real-world issues. You and I, we can touch the lives of people by raising awareness.
Also, I fancy the dream that in time, somebody in here and out there would dare to walk this talk. Because I believe, you and I – we certainly can.
Sources: (Lead image is edited personally but original sources are the following.)
I was also a teen age mom. I got pregnant at the age of 17 and my boyfriend ghosted me. I became a single mom and became dependent to my family. It was very hard at first but I'm happy to have my little angel with me. Struggle is real but worth it. Now I am living with someone who accepts me fully.