Kimberly Nunn

English 1106

Cause and Effect

EFFECTS OF PARENTING

     Have you ever had moments where you felt like you were stuck?  When I was 19 years old and fresh out of high school, I got pregnant.  I wasn’t ready for parenthood.  I was planning to start college, not a family.  I was unaware of all the effects of being a parent until they were right in front of me.  Everyone should think of all the effects of parenting before they become a parent.

     There are good effects and bad effects to parenting.  I have experienced more of the good than bad.  One good effect that I had was the feeling of happiness.  I finally have a family of my own.  I watch this little person that I created grow up every day.  That to me is the best happiness I need.  Knowing that I created him is simply amazing.  Although at times it is scary because he acts just like me.  The joy of laughter every day is a good effect also.  It goes with happiness.  My son just says the funniest things sometimes.  He tells everyone he is John Cena, a famous wrestler.  He makes me laugh when he sings and to “Don’tcha” by the Pussycat Dolls.  I wish that I had a video camera to tape the things he does.  I would be a millionaire!

     Another good effect is the feeling of accomplishment.  I managed to go back to school after putting it off for motherhood.  The biggest accomplishment for any parent is getting their kids through high school graduation.  My mom is the only one out of ten kids to get all her kids graduated from high school.  My mom didn’t finish school herself, so it’s quite the accomplishment to get all her kids through school even though she didn’t.  She faced a lot of bad effects, so it is nice that she accomplished at least one good.  I was able to get my son into kindergarten at 5 years old.  I read to him and taught him a lot of things to be ready for kindergarten.  It is sad to see my boy growing up, but it is a great accomplishment for me to know that my son is ready for school.

     Some bad effects might be that people are not financially stable, their child feels unwanted, they are still a child themselves, they can lose friends, and they fail school.  When people have kids at a young age, like I did, they tend to grow up to fast.  Some students that have babies in high school, often times don’t make it to graduation.  My mom was one of them and I had some friends as well.  It’s hard when they are still a child themselves.  I was forced to move out on my own and get more hours at work to support myself and my baby.  I lost friends because I couldn’t do anything with them.  When I had my son, I would constantly get babysitters so I could go out.  I wasn’t ready to deal with the reality of taking care of someone else when I wanted to have fun and live my life.  I struggled to make ends meet all the time.  It was hard trying to support myself let alone another.  After awhile, I could tell that my son was feeling unwanted even though I loved him very much.  I put myself in counseling to become a better parent and help my son feel wanted.  Our relationship is ten times better, but it took a lot of bumps in the road to get us here and for me to realize what I was doing.

     At times I felt like I was stuck in something that I couldn’t get out of.  I just looked at my mom’s life and thought of her as my guide.  I knew that if she could get through what she went through, so could I.  My mother is my heart and my strength.  When anyone is thinking of becoming a parent, think of these questions: Are you financially stable? Can you handle it? Do you have help? Can you fully commit to being a parent? Is this what you really want?  There is not always going to be help out there when you become a parent.  People should be sure that this is what they really want and if its not, they need to choose a different path.