1.
When you announce that you are pregnant, your friends think you are joking.
2.
No one assumes it was planned.
3.
And everyone thinks it's OK to ask you if it was an accident.
4.
So when you tell people you are pregnant with baby number 2, their face is like this:
5.
And they still ask you if it was an accident.
6.
If you are not married, everyone asks if you plan to get married.
7.
If you are married, people assume the pregnancy came first, marriage second.
8.
People assume that parenthood will be harder for you because of your age.
9.
And you feel under even more pressure to prove you are fine.
10.
Friends ask you really in-depth questions about pregnancy and giving birth.
11.
It's unlikely that your children will grow up with cousins close in age.
12.
But your children never have to share any attention from doting friends and family.
13.
People like to tell you about someone else they know who had children young.
14.
And they assume you will have loads in common, just because you are both young parents.
15.
Most of the other parents you know are at least 10 years older than you.
16.
They have had whole careers before they had children, whereas you are only just starting your career.
17.
But you have way more energy to run around with your children and to cope with sleepless nights.
18.
And when your children reach adulthood, you will still have a lot of life ahead of you.
19.
You might even end up being a young grandparent, too.
20.
People like to tell you “I could never have had children as young as you did, no way was I ready”.
21.
And you smile politely when they say “I'm so glad I got to do everything I wanted to do before I had children”.
22.
Your priorities, productivity, and ambition are a lot clearer than a lot of people your age.
23.
You find it difficult to relate when your friends talk about needing a holiday or more sleep.
24.
Your friends love your child and are very supportive, but they really have no idea what it's like.
25.
It can feel hard to be the only person you know going through parenthood at the same age.
26.
But it's also really rewarding and a lot of fun. You are proud to have created someone so awesome.
