In another TikTok, Nicole explained that she got her daughter's permission to post the above video and she hoped it would raise awareness about the topic.
Nicole's video has racked up more than 13 million views in less than a week, and many commenters — including doctors and fellow parents — are praising the way she handled the situation:
Her video has even helped teens in similar situations come forward:
BuzzFeed spoke to Nicole, who is referring to her 17-year-old daughter, Angelina, in her video. "The moment I saw the pregnancy test wrapper, I knew it was my daughter's. My immediate reaction was, 'Angelina needs me, so don’t react!' I said, 'Do you need a hug?' And I hugged her tight and told her I would help her figure this out," explained Nicole.
After Angelina's pregnancy was confirmed, Nicole said she talked to her friends and parents and cried a lot. "I was terrified and sad but, if I felt that way, imagine how Angelina was feeling! It wasn’t about me or how I felt, my daughter needed me in that moment to be her person."
Nicole sat down with Angelina to help her make an informed decision about her options. "Angelina is the one who has to live with whatever decision she makes. Our life is like our own personal story, her next chapter should not be up to me. My job is to educate her and give her facts so she can think for herself," said Nicole, adding, "I told her I would support whatever she decides and I told her I’m sorry that the first real adult decision you will ever make is one of the hardest."
"If I didn’t have my mom’s support, I know that this story would be a little different and I’d feel a lot more afraid than I am now," Angelina said.
Nicole also explained that Angelina was very educated about using protection and she was on birth control. "Birth control can fail, it is not 100%. Different things can also cause it to fail, like medications, getting sick, and so on," she said, adding that she thinks using two forms of birth control is smart.
Nicole ended by saying, "The bottom line is: Do not be afraid to talk to your kids. Do not make it uncomfortable — just be honest and discuss facts. Teens want to be able to openly have serious conversations with their parents, so stop putting up walls. Put in the work and control your emotions to build that trust."
Angelina will be welcoming a baby boy this September, and we wish her a happy and healthy delivery! Thanks to both Nicole and Angelina for sharing this story. You can follow Nicole on TikTok to see more of her stories.
