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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Pregnant Teenage Daughter Advice Needed.

47 replies

rose1927 · 26/08/2010 12:38

I have posted about her pregnancy before during the early stages...she has decided to keep her baby and is now 16 weeks...we have offered to support her to become indpendent and have said she can live at home until her hair dressing apprenticeship is complete which will be about a years time. We have several problems...

She works long hours and I am happy to tidy her room, do the wasing and make her breakfast or a cup of tea as I am at home most of the day. I do ask however that she does bring down her plates straight away and leave her room in a resonable state. This has not been happening without nagging and 3 day old plates appearing.

Also she works late on a wednesday and although I do not normally cook for her as she tends to do her own thing last wed and this wed she said she would be home about 8.30 for dinner. I made her tea and and she did not come home till 11 ....I dont even mind her not coming home...but she did not even text or phone to say...

I feel although we are not happy with her pregnancy we are doing everything we can to support her to independence and I just feel taken advantage of...I told her today things had to change (over the phone which was not good but I just lost my paitence) She just huffed and puffed like I was being soooo unreasonable. How can I make her stick to some ground rules ....it is so hard.

I am feeling very depressed and anxious about the whole situations...will she be like this with a baby too?

OP posts:
noteventhebestdrummer · 27/08/2010 22:35

Rose, I think you are amazing, I have thought about you and your DD a lot in recent months since we face different challenges with our DS who has made bad decisions in his life with terrible repercussions.

You've shown me that we have to try so, so hard to show our love and support to these big children, in practical ways, while supressing the sadness/anger we feel at their very human mistakes. And we all make those. These kids are worthy of more forgivness because they are more vulnerable.

You're doing SO well. Don't sweat the small stuff (plates), don't be a pushover. Do hang onto the bits that matter - are you having any fun time with DD? Now her BF is off the scene maybe you can fit in some treats?

HUGS

cassann46 · 27/08/2010 23:54

Hi again Rose, first of all i think you are being a great mum supporting her, as you know my daughter at 17 had her baby 28 days ago!!! she is the only one of her new circle of friends (all young mums) who has stayed at home all the others have had to leave and get flats in grotty areas so dont beat yourself up, secondly try not to worry about how she will cope with the baby, i was 26 when i had ny 1st and it was a bloody shock even though i was married and it was planned, nothing can prepare you for a baby no matter how old, your daughter is in for a shock but you will have to let her deal with it as it is her baby, i help my daughter but work full time and i took 2 weeks off after baby was born and looked after her in full, now that i am back in work I HELP but with limits as she knows my wages help pay for the extras and treats and she know without that we would be stuck, i am sure once the baby comes thing will improve but as you dont go out to work you will need to be careful about what your role is and hers but be warned i am totally in loooove with my little grandaughter and would spend all day with her if i could!!!! grandkids are just so amazing and the feelings for thenm are so different, that said at 17 my DS is fab with her little girl and is a really good mum, i would suggest your DS registers with connections as they usually run young mums classes and this may help your DS to mix with others and get a sense of how life will be different, before baby my ds could be half an hour in the shower!!! now she has it timed to 5 minutes so i am also sure your DS will fall in love with her baby and be a fab mum xxxx please take care and make sure you have somne time for your self an your hubby, the last 4 weeks for me has been shattering but i would not change it for anything!!! xx

rose1927 · 28/08/2010 10:38

Thankyou for your kind words....

OP posts:
Littlepurpleprincess · 31/08/2010 14:45

You'll probably find that when she has her baby she will grow up anyway. She will WANT a tidy room for her child and to make life easy for herself IYSWIM.

The key is to not do it for her or else you will be in trouble.

You could set out what you are going to do before she has the baby. For example, I will bagysit .....hours a week for you to catch up on work, have a sleep, whatever you choose. This time should not be spent out with mates at maccy D's tho!

Tell her exactly what is her responsabilty and what is yours and stick to it.

If you think of it from her point of view, you have always done these things for her and all of a sudden you want her to do them herself. This is fair but she may not have realised (no offense) that these things have ever needed to be done or noticed you doing them. She can't read your mind. She won't make the leap without you telling her.

I had DS when I was 17 and I would've really apprieciated some straight talking from my mum. If she'd have asked I would have done. Instead she she was happy to do it one minute, angry the next.

Looking back now, it is obvious she changed because she wanted me to be more independant but at that age I couldn't see it. So try talking to her.

Don't despair. I am now 21. I'm engaged to a lovely bloke, I'm qualified and run my own business. I am very independant and like my house to be spotless.

You will be suprised at how much she changes when she falls in love with her baby.

SleepingLion · 31/08/2010 14:52

Just to put things in perspective - your original 'contract' with her containing just three things you expected her to do - well, I expect my DS to do the first two. And he's 7. So you are hardly expecting her to display shocking levels of maturity or consideration.

I agree with those that say you have to support her to independence doing just that: stop picking up the slack for her and start insisting she behaves like the adult she is.

rose1927 · 03/09/2010 21:18

Hi, littlepurple princess,

You are spot on, I do this all the time, do things one minute for her then shout the next. I know I am doing it but I just cant help it...I want to stop and am trying to be consistent. Thank you I will try harder to be more plain speaking.x

OP posts:
mumandnana · 03/09/2010 21:26

MY daughter had a baby last year, aged 19. Although unexpected we now count our blessings with our gorgeous funny granddaughter. My daughter lives with us, and is extremely messy, forgetful and sometimes exasperating. But she is also loving, thankful for our support, and a fantastic mummy. Her baby may not have (now or ever) a tidy bedroom or a structured routine, but she has endless love, cuddles and laughter.Although I understand your frustrations at the mess and such like (believe me, I know where you are coming from), maybe focussing on the truly important things will ease things - the baby is on its way now, regrets about how things might have been are useless, and like us you may be amazed and proud of your daughter as a mummy. No matter what the mess, we would rather they were both here than anywhere else.

rose1927 · 04/09/2010 06:18

Hi mumandnana

You are very lucky our daughter is neither loving, or thankful of our support...she just expects us to do this, as she know we love her. she does not talk to us expect to ask for things...can you, have you got, can i have etc.... she has a messy relationship with her boyfriend and I do not want her to end up with his family. I am not sure how I will feel when the baby is born...and I am trying to be supportive of her but it is very hard when you get nothing in return. Hopefully things will change in time. I think it is not the baby or her that is the problem it is her boyfriend and the way his family live you can see that he is dragging her down and most importantly she is NOT happy at all . If she was happy about the situation it would be easier all round but to compound everything she is a complete misery, with us althoug I suspect not with her friends.

OP posts:
gtamom · 04/09/2010 06:54

rose1927
You sound like a really wonderful mother to me. Your daughter will realize how fortunate she once she is living on her own. I hope she is moved into her own place at least a month before the baby is due. For your sake.

mathanxiety · 04/09/2010 07:30

My oldest DD went away to uni at 18, and I had a lovely clean empty bedroom in the house instead of her. Sad

There was a point where I decided that her room was her own business though, a few years earlier, so it hadn't come between us.

However, I think for everyone's sake, as well as feeling more like a family, it's nice (and easier to keep track of the plates too) if your DD eats in the kitchen or with you wherever you eat. She has separated from the BF (HURRAY, remembering your other thread) and could do with a friend at this time, no matter how caught up with her own life she seems to be. A friend and a mum, not a servant. Persist in a kind but firm way.

rose1927 · 04/09/2010 10:36

thank you .... for your support xx

OP posts:
burneyvill · 15/10/2012 14:46

Can't come to terms that my fifteen year old daughter is pregnant!

My daughter is 17 weeks pregnant and it has been 6 weeks ago since she decided she would not go through with the termination.

She has been extremley un-ruley for aproximately 2 year, in April 2012 we went to her GP for the contraception pill, well, I wanted her to have the injection but she wouldnt have it. We compromised and she has been on the pill ever since. Every night i would ask her if she had took her pill and she always answered yes.

Since finding out she was pregnant, we have visited our G.P, counsellors and sought family advice and she wouldn't have any of it and said she was keeping it!!

I'm totally distraught, she seems to be sailing through this. Iam giving her my full support, but just can't come to terms with it myself. My world has turned inside out!! She comes from a very loving family and don't know what she has been thinking or is thinking!

OhSoVintage · 15/10/2012 18:28

burneyvill I'm really sorry to hear about your daughter.

I found myself pregnant at 16 and now have a 13 year old daughter that I wouldn't be without!
It's not easy to bring up a child when you are so young, I found some of the hardest things was becoming out of touch with my friends and feeling isolated.
However there is so much support nowadays that it is possible to have a child and still be able to get through college with a reasonable amount of support.
It's obviously harder with a child but it can be done, I did it. In my case having a child helped me to gain a focus on life and gave me something to work for.

It's tough and not something I would want for my dd so understand how you must feel but even though it doesn't feel like it now with enough support she can come out the other end.

I don't think abortion is an easy answer. If its not what she wants it could cause far more problems for her in life than having the child will. I just think even though she seems to be sailing along inside she will be scared and will need your support more than ever.

Stay strong xx

sashh · 16/10/2012 07:19

You need to make the transisiton from parent of a child to parent of an adult.

Imagine it is 10 years in the future and your daughter had her own place for a while, when she visits what would you expect?

Make her room hers, do not even open the door, leave her to clean it - if you run out of plates then use paper plates - but hide them from dd.

The very least she can do is take responsibility for her own room and washing. don't nag, if she runs out of clothes then she will have to wash them or wear dirty clothes. She won't forget twice.

I think you also need to have a chat with her about what will happen when the baby arrives. Is she expecting you to be an unpaid babysitter?

I'm sure all you want to do is throw your arms around her as she is still your little girl. Do that as well but make some rules and stick to them.

flow4 · 16/10/2012 09:53

Oh rose... Firstly, you are not failing as a mother: you are doing what we all do - muddling through and making it up as we go along. :) You didn't expect your daughter to be pregnant so young - it is not something you would ever have planned for - so of course you're finding it hard... You're having to work out what to do while you're already in the middle of the situation. Confused You sound like you're doing fine. Actually, you sound like you're doing pretty well... So cut yourself some slack! Grin

I think there are actually three totally different things going on for you here:

  1. You are trying to deal with your daughter going through that stage of being an infuriating, inconsiderate and thoughtless teenager;
  2. You are needing to find a new 'balance' of responsibilities in your family as your daughter starts training/work and is much busier and more focussed outside the home than she has ever been before;
  3. You are trying to come to terms with the fact that she is pregnant and so far you are desperately worried about it.

Ordinarily, you'd get to deal with these separately, one after the other - as different stages in her teenage/young adult life. But because your daughter is pregnant so young and still living at home, you are having to deal with all three simultaneously.

It might help if you tried to separate out the three in your head a bit, because I think they need different tactics... :)

  1. This is absolutely normal. I have the same problems with my 17 son (who obviously isn't pregnant!) You can approach this just as any other parent of a teen would. On the practical side, I'd advise that you never go in her room again! What goes on in there is her responsibility. You will have some difficult moments - when you run out of forks and she runs out of clothes, for instance Grin - but if you draw this line now, she will work out some basic housekeeping within a few months.

From an emotional point of view, her attitude is absolutely normal too. Horrible and annoying, but normal Grin. All that huffing and puffing and taking you for granted is what teenagers do! I agree that detaching yourself is a good idea, but personally I have never managed it well. Instead, my coping strategy is to remember to do nice things for myself. The more stressed I get with my teen, the more difficult I find it to remember to do nice things, but the more important it is! You will cope a lot better if you can built in regular treats for you! :)

  1. This is a practical problem that lots of families face - more and more, as kids stay living at home longer. IMO, there is no 'right answer' - you have to find what works for you. 50 hours is a lonnnnnnng week (I couldn't work that myself) - and your daughter is both pregnant and young and new to work. I think you can actually be proud of how well she is dealing with work. :) You need to decide whether or not you want to cook for her and/or do other chores for her while she settles into new responsibilities. This is your choice. You need to find the balance that works for your family. If you are happy cooking for her every night, then do. If you want her to share the cooking, then talk to her and agree who does what, when.

Bear in mind that she almost certainly will not stick to agreements, simply because she is a teenager (see 1 above!). If/when she doesn't do what she said she would, it isn't a sign of your failure as a mother or her bad character (though I know it feels like that!) - it is just a difficulty you are inevitably dealing with because you are doing 'stages' 1 and 2 simultaneously. You'll get there in the end :)

  1. This is the thing that makes everything else feel so worrying and difficult. I have never had a pregnant daughter, so I don't know how I'd deal with it. But I imagine it's incredibly scary and very worrying and a bit exciting, all at the same time. Confused You need to come to terms with being a grand-parent, just as your daughter needs to come to terms with being a mother. I suspect that you won't really be able to work out what you feel and what to do until the baby is actually born, and then lots of things will just fall into place. Meanwhile, you are bound to worry.

The difficult thing is that the worry about her pregnancy and her becoming a mother also sort of 'spills out' all over everything else... So, she comes home late and you worry she's going to be a slack mum... She doesn't bring dirty plates down from her room and you worry she'll forget to feed the baby Hmm Grin This is natural, but not really helpful... Her normal natural teenage nonsense now isn't any indication how how she's going to be as a mother!

Honestly, really and truly rose, it sounds like both you and your daughter are already doing well in a difficult situation, so you will probably be alright. I know you probably won't believe me when I say you sound like you're doing well, but I mean it. :) I think you will both rise to the challenge splendidly when the baby arrives! Grin

mathanxiety · 16/10/2012 17:21

Rose's thread is from 2010 so maybe the baby has been born by now.

Burney's post is from 2012. Burney, you might like to start a thread.

flow4 · 16/10/2012 20:24

Oops, I didn't notice that! Thanks for pointing it out, math.
Burneyvill, start another thread - you'll get more advice and support that way :)

mathanxiety · 17/10/2012 00:47

It was a really good post Flow.

flow4 · 17/10/2012 07:54

:) Thanks math. Maybe someone else will find it useful...

Mrsjay · 17/10/2012 10:05

I know she is your daughter but you do know once the baby comes she will expect you do to it all for her and her baby , let her sort her own room and don't make her dinner for her, do you have a microwave , if you want plate it and put it in there if not get her to buy some oven meals that SHE not you can pop in the oven when she gets home, she will be a mother in a few months and it is amazing you are supporting her but letting her be a little independant even if she is still living with you,

Mrsjay · 17/10/2012 10:06

OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD the baby will be born and walking , sigh @ me not looking at dates,

nortonmumoftwo · 17/10/2012 10:15

hi

It would be easy to say what we would do in the same position - I have 2 daughters 12 and 13 - I know how you feel - at least you care about your daughter - plenty don't believe me - one day she will realise this - until that day comes you just have to cope and apply the ground rules. Heaven help you when that baby arrives! Sometimes tough love needs to be applyed and she may need to get her own place in order to understand the full role of a mum. Kids are a lottery - you can bring them up the same - but you never know how they will turn out! Hang in there.

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