You’re Worth the Wait

By Shannon Hembree

How’s this for a Saturday night?

9:30 pm: change the baby’s diaper and feed the baby

10:15 pm: change the baby’s outfit, which is now covered in spit up, and change your shirt

10:30 pm: put the baby to bed

10:45 pm: fall asleep

12:00 am: change the baby’s diaper and feed the baby

12:30 am: put the baby to bed

12:45 am: fall asleep

2:30 am: go to the crying baby only to discover that he or she has wet through the diaper and the bedding

2:45 am: change and feed the baby

3:15 am: change the baby’s bedding and put the baby to bed

3:30 am: fall asleep

5:15 am: feed the baby

5:45 am: put the baby to bed

6:00 am: fall asleep

7:45 am: feed the baby and get up for the day

Worth the Wait

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/421147

Welcome to motherhood. It’s a wonderful thing, but it’s no walk in the park, and it’s certainly not something you want to undertake before you are ready to care for, pay for, and be totally selfless for a child. But when you are having sex, that is exactly what you are signing up for if you get pregnant. So before you say “yes” to your boyfriend, ask yourself – AND HIM – the questions below.

Am I ready to care for a baby day after day and night after night? Being a parent is nothing like being a babysitter. It is relentless. There are no days off, you don’t get paid, and there are times when it is totally thankless.

Am I ready to care for a baby with health problems? According to the March of Dimes, “Teen mothers are more likely than mothers over age 20 to give birth prematurely…Babies born prematurely face an increased risk of newborn health problems, long-term disabilities and even death.”

Can I afford a baby? According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, “A child born in 2009 will cost nearly a quarter of a million dollars, or about $222,360, to raise to maturity.” (figure based on an annual report by the Department of Agriculture)

Are you ready to quit school and give up – or at the very least postpone – your career dreams? Being a full-time parent, particularly if you are a single parent, is challenging for anyone. Add in going to school or pursuing your dream career, and it becomes nearly impossible. So ask yourself, are you ready to quit school and give up – at least for the moment – pursuing your dreams?

And those are just a few things to consider. What about your own parents? What about your faith?

Wake up girls. If you are in your teens or early twenties, this is your time. It’s your time to think of yourself – probably the only time in your life you can really say that. What are your dreams? What are your values? Do you want to go to college and become a doctor? A journalist? A human rights worker, a lawyer, a nurse, a teacher, or anything in between? Maybe college isn’t on your agenda and you want to take time to get experience with a job while you figure out what you want to be or do. Now is your time to make your own dreams a reality.

Live your dreams

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/922636

And it’s not just about your own dreams – see what happens when you ask your boyfriend the questions above. Because if you both aren’t ready to commit to what it takes to raise a child if you get pregnant – from the diapers to the dollars – then you aren’t ready to have sex. So commit to yourself, be true to your values, and follow your dreams. You’re well worth the wait.

Tags: boyfriend, child, motherhood, parent, sex, the wait, worth