This Is Me Maria

I really like my friends. Most of them are pretty cool. Of course I am the youngest of a particular group of them. I don’t mind really, that kind of happens when you are in my situation. I feel like I can learn a lot from all these people who have so much more experience than I.

Unfortunately some of them love to poke “fun” at me for being so young. It seems to happen a lot though and it feels more like jabs as if they are mad at me for something. It makes me really sad.

I am very sensitive about my age because people (not just friends) always make a big deal out of it when they find out how old I am. Jaws drop, people strain their tiny brains to do the math to figure out how old I must have been when I had my son. I get a million questions. You would think I was the only person EVER to have a baby at a young age. I’m not sure what they expected. I don’t understand why it is so damn shocking.

I also really hate comments like “you don’t look old enough to be a mom”. How old do I need to look? How old is “old enough” to be a mom? Did I miss a crucial memo that states that all the shitty parents in the world are under a certain age?

I feel like I should wear a big neon sign that says YES I WAS A TEEN MOM AND I AM NOT VERY OLD YET. GET OVER IT OKAY?!!!

I’ve had many parents (even in my own damn church!) be rude to me, or just stare at me and give me dirty looks when I have done nothing to provoke them. (Unless existing in the same room with my children and theirs is some how offensive.) Heck even some of my so-called “mom friends” make comments about my age that I could definitely live without.

I already have to live with the decisions I’ve made, why do I have to continue to be punished by the rest of the world?