"This is your baby, and you're my baby"

A few days ago a nice 18 year old girl came into our office on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens and just wanted to talk. She knew that she was pregnant and she desperately wanted to keep her baby but just wanted further confirmation via one of our free self-administered pregnancy tests.

She was weeping and afraid of what she would do in her future - college, family, etc. She just needed somebody to encourage her and point out the fact that yes this will change her life (having a baby), but her baby is not the enemy to her happiness or fulfillment. Luckily, in addition to the emotional support I was giving her, she had a very supportive mother.

The highlight of my talk with her was when she called her mom while I was present. I could hear her mother give one of the best lines to a sad and afraid daughter I've ever heard.

She said, "We can do this, and you can keep your baby, because this is your baby, and you're my baby."

What great encouragement from a loving mother. Unfortunately most girls do not have this kind of support. Lets hope and pray that mothers, or rather, grandmothers, will offer their children the kind of nurturing care best provided only by them.