Love's Labors: The Real Teen Mom

I'm Elena. I'm 16. I've been married for almost 4 months. My daughter, Gemma Brooklyn, is about six weeks old. This story is a 3rd person telling of what it's like to be a married teenage mother. It's all real (which makes this awkward, because this is fiction) but it's not a narrative. Enjoy.

[Yeah, there's language.]

"Shut up, stupid bitch." Elena groaned, slamming her laptop shut. Another message from her mother in law, the snooty Rhonda, about how she was disappointed in the way her grandchild was being raised. "'Not the top quality formula.'" She repeated in a snotty voice under her breath. "Yeah, okay, then why don't you buy it for us?" She said a little angrier, finally getting out of bed. The place next to her was empty, like it always was by this time this morning. Her husband, Aidan, a junior in high school, was up at 5:30 every morning to shower, eat, and usually do the homework he didn't have enough time to do with his two jobs almost every evening.

Elena looked at the clock. "9 AM?" She hurriedly threw on her bathrobe and walked quickly towards Gemma's crib in the corner of the bedroom. They lived in a one bedroom apartment, so there was no room for a nursery. She was almost grateful for this: Gemma woke her up so many times during the night that it was a relief not to go down a hallway every time.

The baby was sound asleep. Elena sat down on the chair next to her, reaching out a hand to lightly hold the little girl's. She still felt a sense of pride when she looked at her daughter. It had been no easy road getting to this point. Getting kicked out of her parent's house, having to quit public school for cyber school when her locker started getting spray painted words like "slut", living in a tiny apartment with no heating for three months, and the occasional spat with her then-boyfriend had made the nine months of her young pregnancy no easy time in her life. But now, here was the baby. The beautiful, beautiful baby girl who was her reason for living.

Patting Gemma's tiny hand one more time, she yawned her way to the miniscule kitchen. She almost dozed off while scrambling some eggs. Quickly swallowing down an iron vitamin supplement, she padded to the couch, opening her laptop and logging on for cyber school.

"WAHH." The cry came from the bedroom. No matter how many times it rang out, she would never really adjust to the high-pitched scream her daughter made when she was hungry. Rushing back down the short hallway, she skidded to halt in front of Gem's crib.

"C'mere," she cooed, lifting the little baby out of her crib and into her arms. "Shh, shh." She rocked her softly, supporting her neck and head with her elbow. "Don't worry, baby, mama's here." She said comfortingly. Gemma's cries softened for a moment, and then came back, full blast. "C'mon, sweetie, let's get you some milk."

She had decided not to breastfeed, for the pure convenience of it. Screw Parenting magazine. She deserved some convenience after the hell that had been her pregnant life. So it was formula in the bottle she stuck in Gemma's mouth. She instantly quieted down, sucking contentedly on the nozzle. "Yeah, there you go." She murmured. Gemma released the bottle after a few minutes, waving her arms and smiling. "All right, baby, chair time." She strapped the little girl into the Baby Bjorn supporting, slightly bouncy chair that she loved to sit in while Elena did her online school work.

The day passed, minute by minute, hour by hour. The occasional crying spell, the feeding, the diaper changes, the dreaded Algebra 2 quiz.

The key turned in the lock at 4 PM. Quickly putting her laptop aside and kissing Gemma's forehead, she rushed to the front hall just as Aidan stepped through the doorway. She almost jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his lips. "Hey, baby." He kissed her again.

"Nope," she giggled. "Baby's in there." She jerked her head to the living room. "I'm here." She giggled again as he hugged her.

"Well, let's go find baby then."

She went to the kitchen to get a bowl of pretzels for him, and when she returned to the living room, Aidan was gently bouncing their daughter in his tan arm. "Who's the prettiest girl in the world?" He was murmuring to her. Elena grinned with delight at how much he loved Gemma, before playfully coming up behind them. "Hey," she pouted, in response to what he had been asking the baby. "What am I then?" The corners of her lips turned up, making sure he knew she was joking. He kissed her lips quickly before saying, "You're the most beautiful, mature, and amazing woman in the world."

She hit his arm gently. She hated mushiness, unless it was in a badly rated Katherine Heigl romcom. Taking the baby from his arms, she said quietly, "Gemstone, you're the prettiest girl in the world."

Author's Note: Let me know if I should continue this. This was more like a snippet, I'll actually write more later. If you're tired of over dramatized TV shows, this is the real story of a real teen mother, with a real husband and a real baby. Sure, there's drama, but not on an MTV level because this is real.