Deciding Whether Or Not To Give Your Baby For Adoption: What About You?
If you are thinking of giving your baby up for adoption, you know that there are so many thoughts and emotions involved with the decision. It will no doubt be one of the very hardest things that you will have to do. There are many different ways to try and figure out what to do, but for the purpose of this article, focus on you. What is going on in your life? Think about how a baby is going to affect that. Here are a few things you may want to consider if you are thinking, "Should I put my baby up for adoption?"
Your Education
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, only 2% of teen moms complete college before their 30th birthday. Going to school is extremely difficult with kids, so it makes sense that the number would be so low. Whether or not you graduate from high school and college has a direct tie to how much money you will make in your lifetime, which determines the quality of life that you will enjoy. Even if you have a baby in high school, placing a baby for adoption can buy you the time you need to get your education.
Your Future Relationships
Hopefully, the baby's father is an upstanding guy who is a hard worker that is driven to provide for his growing family. However, if he is a teen parent the odds are stacked against that scenario. According to a study from Yale University, less than 8% of teen moms marry their baby's father. That means that if you keep the baby you will someday be dating while having a child. That can be a hard way to enter into a new relationship, though it can be done if you find the right person.
In conclusion, having a baby changes much more than just how much sleep you get. There are very real and very challenging aspects of having a baby that some young moms fail to consider. In addition to all of this, thinking about the potential quality of life that your baby will have can really help to make a decision. If you feel that they are going to have a great life with you, keep them. If you think they would have a better chance of life with someone else, you may want to consider placing them for adoption. Ultimately, their life is not the only life to consider in the decision. You matter too.