I was visiting another board for moms and there were a lot of super young moms..... many of them were having their second or third child and they hadn't hit 20 yet. I am always thinking about finances and my first though was how do they do this financially???

Does anyone have experience rasing a child/children at a very young age or just have a guess on how they make it?

--Ann

I am not sure to be honest. I was young when I had my first (19 1\2) but I was 24 when I had my second and 26 with my third. I was a single mom with my first and worked full-time. I had a one bedroom apartment for almost 2 years and then moved into my own house. I got assistance with childcare. Maybe these girls get assistance of some sort or they have older husbands who make good money. There is alot of young girls marrying older men these days for stability. Frankly I don't blame them because boys their age can be irresponsible when it comes to children and don't want to take responsibility. Not all are like this but most are. My DH was 24 when he had his first and is and was quite helpful. I hope this answers your question.

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If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.

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I had my first when I was 21 and my second 2 1/2 years later, so not quite as young as the girls you wrote about. Money was tight with our first. We both worked full time. I only had 2 1/2 weeks off after he was born. We didn't go out much and bought a lot of stuff used. By the time I had my third I was able to stay home full time.

I was 17 with my first and 22 with my second again not as young as some of those you are talking about but I had 2 jobs and finished school with my first and my mother and exes mother took turns during the week watching ds #1 i also rented an efficiency to keep my bills low and i had no government assistance. i guess i could have gotten reduced childcare if i wanted to but i was really against any kind of government assistance at the time. i also only needed to go to school for half days because i had more than enough credits to graduate anyway so i had more time to work. by the time i had ds #2 i was with dh already (not yet married or living together but had been together for 2 years) so there were 2 of us working at the time and we gradually moved up to an apartment and then a house. it is definitely doable but the mother's mind needs to be in the right place.

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- Chantelle

Mommy to Roly (2000) and Elijah (2005) and expecting #3 due May 7th 2009!


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I was 27 when I had my first and only, and money is still tight! I have no idea how these girls could manage unless they are getting help. I know the single gals here in WI get all kinds of assistance: renters assist., daycare assist., food stamps, WIC. Hmm, maybe I should dump my dh. Just kidding!

There's a good chance that they are getting some sort of assistance. Not everyone waits until they are financially stable to have children and plan it out. I didn't plan either of mine. I saw where it was going and could see me being a baby machine. I got a tubal after my second because we couldn't afford anymore(or the two we already had, really) and I was absolutely miserable pregnant and had ppd with both. There were periods we got assistance. We got foodstamps for 6 months and WIC for about a year. The rest of the time it was just struggling. We still struggle and I'm 29. I can't wait until hubby graduates.

Not to be a party pooper, but my guess is that they do it on food stamps, cash assistance and WIC. Either that or they still live with their parents.

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I was 18 when I got married and 19 when I had my first baby (not planned). I was 21 when I had my second child and will be 24 for my third (and last). I guess I'm one of those people that your talking about . It's very hard having three children sooo young. We bought a fixer upper house three and a half years ago..still needs a lot of work We bought it because the payments are low, but we are paying a lot to fix it up...but it's nice to do it when we do have the money. We have never gotten any help from family. I am a SAHM. I must say it would have been smarter to have children when we had money..but this is the way it happened. We don't have a lot of extra money. The kid's have medical Inc. because of the gov. but my husband's work doesn't offer anything...and I mean nothing. We don't "travel". we don't have anything saved, because there is just nothing left over. I guess all I can say is that it is very hard. But we are really pushing for most of our debt to be payed off by Sept. 2009..which is over a year..but at least I see light at the end of the tunnel. I hope this will help you out. If not it really helped to talk about it!

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SAHM to MacKenzie 09/10/03, Brooke 09/21/05, KayLynn 04/23/08 and WIFE to Fred 6 years
"Tears do NOT become me."

I do get wic. and medical help for the girls but that is it.

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SAHM to MacKenzie 09/10/03, Brooke 09/21/05, KayLynn 04/23/08 and WIFE to Fred 6 years
"Tears do NOT become me."

I was 17 when I had my first and 22 when I had my fourth. I was very young and I try to encourage other young woman to wait. But I was married to a good man (only 19 when our oldest was born) who was a Christian and worked very hard to take care of us. We did not get help from anyone (other than a very short time several years later from my parents who helped us pay a couple of bills when we were struggling). We were on wic for about one year and that is all. When money was tight, I started to do in home daycare. Once money was better for us and I was able to quit that and focus on my kids I did. We bought our first home when our oldest was 6 months old and I had just turned 18. So there are some young woman who can make it and do very well.

However, I have also seen woman who had children very young and some by several different men. They were on wic, food stamps, got help from everyone they knew and they stil struggled. Some that would not work and let the government take care of them and their kids. So just as there are some that do really well, there are others that don't.

But it is the same for parents not as young. Some do well, and others struggle.

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Jenifer
Proud wife to one amazing man
Proud mom to four awesome kids

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