{YML Voices} Once A Young Mom, Always A Young Mom

by Trudi Lebron

At 30, I may not be considered a “young mommy” when I am dropping off my three-year-old son, Kennedy, at preschool. I’m actually somewhere in the middle of the younger 20somethings with their first child and older moms who may be raising the last of their litter at 40. But when I’m sitting in a high school gymnasium cheering on my almost 15-year-old son, Dwight, in a high school wrestling match, I am reminded of my youngness.

I had two children by the time I was 16, my boys Dwight and Daniel. My life, as far as society was concerned, was over. Good thing I was stubborn. The thing about me that has always remained true is that if you tell me I can’t, I just want to more. So long gone are the days of taking the city bus with two babies, a double stroller (where was the Moby Wrap when I needed it most!), diaper bag/book bag and bottles for two. I am now a career woman, with a family, two cars, loving partner, my own apartment and I thought that 30 would be that magic time when my life and my age would have magically caught up with each other and everything would be peachy!

Well, I am here to say to all my young mamas waiting for that magical number 30 (or whatever your number happens to be) once you’re a young mama, you are always a young mama. At 30, I have few peers in my network who understand what it feels like to have two teenage boys, who are eating me out of house and home and grow like beanstalks. They don’t understand how exhausting it is to have your 13-year-old son be a part of a National Youth Football League Championship team, feeling happy for all the wins, while secretly hoping that every game is the last. I don’t have anyone to call and say “My son wants to go to a party and I’m scared about what he’ll be exposed to” and have someone at the other end who can provide real, experienced insight. So I’m just guessing…

And if I hear “You must be his sister” one more time… I am going to scream! It always sounds condescending. If I were his sister I would have said, “Hi, I’m Dwight’s sister” instead of “I’m Dwight’s Mom.”

I am thankful for those preschool moments with my three-year-old, where I can feel “normal” and nobody knows that I’ve been a parent for half my life. But I am grateful for the opportunity to have my two teenage boys and be young enough to have the energy to manage it all. They have truly been the force behind all of my motivation.

Young @ 30!

Trudi Lebron is a former teen mom and current teen parent mentor. She is an advocate, performing artist, researcher, and professional development trainer. Trudi holds a BA in Theatre Arts and MS in Psychology. Read more about her at TrudiLebron.com.