It’s the sideways glances on a crowded bus as a young mum grapples with a heavy pram; the unsolicited comments in supermarket queues about “kids raising kids”, and the assumption they’ve made the wrong choice to raise a child that Sian Jensen and Ashley Pearson are defying.
“A lot of people think ‘you’re a young mum, you’re not going to get anywhere’,” says 21-year-old Pearson, mother to 18-month-old Dean. “I find that when I go to the shops I get these looks; it really brings you down.
“But I’m actually doing really well so I’m starting to get over it and not care what people think.”
Jensen, now 22, and Pearson are part of a group of 13 teenage mums who recently graduated from a Broadmeadows program called Bump, with a TAFE certificate I under their belts.
The Raise Foundation’s Bump initiative provides mentoring and guidance for teenage mums by matching them with experienced mothers and offering monthly workshops. Pearson says Bump has helped her cope with what life has thrown at her following the birth of her son when she was just 19.
“Things with my partner have been rocky recently, and it’s [Bump’s] given me time out to confide in the girls rather than deal with things alone,” she says.
“We’re living far away from my family and friends so I’ve felt I had no one. Now I’ve made friends who are in the same situation, who don’t just want to go out clubbing.”
Jensen, whose son, Mason, is 15 months old, agrees it can be tough connecting with girls her age.
“Most of my friends are still young and partying. They invite me along, but I just can’t go,” she says. “Our group has tried to go out, but it’s bombed a few times because someone can’t get a babysitter or someone’s bub is sick.”
Jensen has found Bump to be a refreshing change from life around her peers. “It’s always about the kids. We all make friends with people we relate to and I guess for us girls we’ve got something that binds us.”
Program counsellor Jodie Harris says there is often a sense of isolation being dispelled when groups like Bump first come together.
“It’s beautiful to watch how these young women bond with each other and their mentors,” she says. “We require our mentors to be over 25 and a parent themselves, so not only are they a friend but someone to learn from.”
According to research by the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Tasmania, a disconnection with schooling often precedes teenage pregnancy. To date there has been little investment in opportunities for teen mothers to re-engage with education. Harris hopes the qualification to enter TAFE will be the first step.
Bernadette Black, director of the non-profit Brave foundation and author of
Brave Little Bear, became a mum at age 16. She promised herself then she would finish her education.
“Although it took me a year longer, I was still able to do it. Even just one subject a week to keep you on track and moving forward is great,” she says.
Black, who won the Barnardos ‘mother of the year’ title in 2009, believes there’s a lack of awareness about local support services.
“Adolescent pregnancies will always happen, and when they do their baby deserves to be raised in a nurturing and healthy environment, helped by the right resources.”
Black found unlikely support in her school year-level co-ordinator during her pregnancy in 1992.
“I needed reassurance and, out of everyone, he offered the most comforting words: the journey might be different now, but the destination can stay the same. That’s what I want these young women to know.”
Harris says the assumption that young mums can’t look after their children is often wrong.
“The fact they’ve chosen to have the baby is already showing they’ll likely give it as much as they can. They do have other options but this is what they’ve chosen,” she says. “They do anything they can for their babies and deserve that encouragement and support like any new mums.”
Australian Bureau of Statistics research states that in 2012, 11,420 babies were born to adolescent mothers.
As secondary school students, Jensen and Pearson never thought they would be among those statistics. They say school education classes covered “STDs, not pregnancies”.
Jensen says only a basic explanation of sexual intercourse was given, over one class. “They don’t give you any understanding of life choices or consequence.”
But, she says, raising a toddler has opened her eyes to things she wouldn’t have considered otherwise.
“It’s made me realise I want to do something of my own like establish a career, which is my aim for this year,” she says.
Pearson says she’s proud of how far she has come in the past few months.
“I found a brand new house for us to rent on my own, and I’m still pinching myself over it. I think we [teenage mums] need to not be scared, and that can get hard when you feel you’re being looked down on.
“It may take a little longer to achieve our goals, but we can still do it with our children by our side.”
Raise Foundation is seeking mentors to assist young women in the 2014 Bump program. Training starts this week.
