‘I was the ‘teen mama with no prospects.’ But being a mom doesn’t mean your life has ended. Not even a little bit.’: Mom graduates nursing school with her children as inspiration, ‘I wouldn’t change a d*mn thing’

“I was the ‘teen mama who had no prospects.’ The mama who had ‘given up the chance at a good life to raise two young children.’ The one who had chosen ‘mama’ over ‘life.’ Full stop.

Crazy, right? I graduated—how do I put this into words? How do I even begin to try and explain the level of emotion captured in this one picture right here?

Let this photo be a reminder to every mama out there—being a mama doesn’t mean your own life has ended, not even a little bit. Life is just beginning.

A life where suddenly there’s even more reason than ever before to make something of yourself, for them—those little people you’ve created. There’s even more reason to achieve everything you dreamed of achieving before them.

Mamas are fierce, strong, and downright unstoppable humans when they need to be. It was that roaring mama-fire deep inside which carried me through the hardest times of my degree. It was seeing their little faces every day which stopped me from giving up when it all seemed impossible and I just wanted to break down and cry.

It was knowing I had to show them both how everyone else was wrong and I absolutely could give them the life they deserved, despite being a teen mama, which fired me up enough to nurse through the final year of my degree in the midst of a pandemic. Believe me, it’s taken a level of strength I didn’t even know I had.

So, don’t you give up mama, don’t you listen to the doubters. Don’t you let them break you, remember who’s watching, dust yourself down and show everyone what mamas are made of.

I did it. I did it. I did it.

My little Charlie and Elsie, it was all for you guys, and I would do it a million times over despite the uphill struggle, because I choose you both. I choose you both every single time, and I wouldn’t change a d*mn thing.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Jessie Collins of The Student Nurse Mummy. You can follow their journey on Instagram. Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.

Read more stories by Jessie here:

‘You came into our lives when they were scared to trust. You showed them it was okay to let their guard down.’: Mom writes appreciation post for step-dad with Father’s Day approaching

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‘When your son and I decided to go our separate ways you said, in the heat of it all, I wouldn’t let you see your grandkids.’: After separation woman pledges to mother-in-law ‘my door will always be open for you’

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