Young
Mums
Becoming a mum is hard at the best of times,
all that worrying about such insignificant things, the lack of sleep, fear of
dropping the baby, constantly asking yourself, ‘am I doing it right?’ It’s the
most magical of times, you’ve created a person and you can’t take your eyes off
that precious bundle, but at the same time it’s terrifying!
For a teenage mum it’s even harder, you’re
desperate to prove that you can do it and that you’re not a waste of space,
like a lot of people think young mums are. I used to be paranoid that old
ladies were looking at me, pushing my baby in his pram, thinking, ‘look at her
with that baby, he’ll end up mugging old ladies!’ Madness I know, but I felt
everyone was judging me because of my age.
Almost twelve years ago, at just nineteen
years old, I gave birth to a little boy, Oliver, and I’ll never forget the
terrifying moment when hubs and I brought him home from hospital, put him down
on the floor in his car seat and looked at each other and said, ‘well, what do
we do now?’ We honestly didn’t have a clue, we were both so young and inexperienced
and I still can’t believe the midwives let us take this tiny creature home with
us!
The second time round, two years later, was
so different, we just got on with it and two years after baby number two, when
we were mad enough to do it a third time, we had this parenting lark down to a
fine art.
Those first few days at home with Oliver were
a scary haze of desperately trying to breast feed this baby that kept falling
asleep, dirty nappies and no sleep for either of us. The breast feeding with
Oliver was a complete disaster, but because I was a ‘teenage mum’ I was
determined to do everything right, which meant feeding him myself - I was
adamant it was the best thing for him!
I think I managed a week before the lack of
sleep and exhaustion took its toll on me and my family talked me into giving
him a bottle. The difference that bottle made on my son was amazing, for the
first time, since he entered the world, he was content, daddy was happy because
it meant he could do something other than change dirty nappies and it meant I
could catch up on some much needed sleep. But, the guilt started nagging away
at me, I felt like a failure, I had one job to do and that was to give my baby
the best start I could and I gave up at the first hurdle and proving to be what
the general consensus of the world considered a ‘teenage mum’
When I look back now, I realise how
ridiculous I was. I don’t think there is any perfect age to become a mum, mum’s
in their thirty’s and forty’s get it wrong too, parenting is hard at the best
of times, no matter how old you are, but when I look at Oliver now, at almost
twelve, I know we got it right with him, despite the fact I was so young when
he was born. He’s healthy, polite, caring and considerate. He’s bright, doing
extremely well at school and is popular. Every day I look at him and feel proud
that I have managed to keep him alive for nearly twelve years - how, I don’t
know? It’s actually quite amazing, especially when I think back to how neither
of us had a clue - but we did it, and I’m quite proud of him - and us!
If I could go back in time and not become a
mum so young, I wouldn’t! Becoming a mum was the best thing that happened to
me, just like Katie, in That Girl, my new book. She became a mum at just
fifteen years old, but she describes having her daughter, Hollie, as the best
thing that ever happened to her and that she couldn’t be without her, and that
is exactly how I feel about Oliver, I had to give up going out with my friends,
girlie holidays and even training to be a nurse, which is what I’d always
wanted to do, but I’ve loved every second I’ve had with my three children and
there is not one moment I would change!
As long as your child is happy, healthy and
loved, it doesn’t matter what age you are!
By
author: Rachel Strong
Blurb:
After serving half of a three-year
prison sentence, James is out and ready to try and get his life back on track,
which means forgetting about the girl who sent him to prison in the first place
- despite the fact he’s still in love with her!
Katie
knows that she can’t see James, but that doesn’t make it any easier. If she
does it could send him straight back to prison, but, she still loves him and is
desperate to make things right and tell him how sorry she is for ruining his
life.
After
accidently bumping into each other, James and Katie can’t stay away from one
another and so begin to see each other in secret. After a slight wobble on
James’s part, when he decides he can’t take the risk of going back to prison,
Katie decides enough is enough and it really is time to move on and put James
behind her.
Heartbroken,
James decides to try and get his life in order. But due to his conviction it’s
not as straightforward as he would like, leaving him miserable and despairing
at what his life has become.
When
a job opportunity comes up hundreds of miles away he doesn’t hesitate to head
south and put his troubles behind him.
Can
James and Katie forget each other and move on with their lives without one
another?
Buy the
Book:
About the
Author:
Bio:
Rachel Strong is a romance
author and lives in Lancashire, England, with her husband, three children and
little dog Daisy. Rachel works part time as a Health Care Assistant at her
local hospital, but her real passion is writing.
Ever since she can remember,
Rachel has been writing stories but didn’t really take it seriously until
summer 2012 when her husband discovered one of her stories, read it and
convinced her that it was good. She loves writing and creating characters,
sometimes a whole day can pass her by, just sitting at her laptop, typing
away.
When
she’s not writing, Rachel loves to read slushy romance novels, chick-lit and a
good thriller. When she finds a spare moment she will be found curled up on the
sofa with her nose in a book.
Rachel’s debut novel ‘Complicated
Love’ is out now with her second novel ‘That Girl’ is due to be released this
coming June.
Find her here:
Visit All the
Stops on the Tour:
June
13th
The Bookworm Lodge
- www.thebookwormlodge.com - Book Excerpt/Promo Post
Little
Shop of Readers - http://littleshopofreaders.com/ - Book Promo Post
T&L
Book Reviews - http://tasz1976.wordpress.com - Book Excerpt/Promo Post
One
Book At A Time - Booksandwinearelovely.blogspot.com - Book Promo
Post
The
Writing Garnet - HTTPS://Thewritinggarnet.wordpress.com - Book
Review
June
14th
Grass monster - Amazon/GoodReads -
Book Review
Vikbat
- http://vikbat.blogspot.co.uk/ - Book Review/Promo Post
The
Bookdragon - http://sheisadude.blogspot.com/ - Book Review
Boundless
Minds - www.boundlessminds.org - Author Guest Post
ItsShelbyMariee
- http://itsshelbymariee.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1 - Book Review
June 15th
JustaBooklovinJunkie
- http://jabooklovinjunkie.blogspot/ - Book Review/Excerpt/Promo Post
Liz
Ellyn - https://lizellyn.com - Book Review
Fervently
Curious - ferventlycurious.wordpress.com - Book Review/Excerpt
Love
Sex and Other Dirty Words - http://lovesexandotherdirtywords.com - Book
Promo Post
Little
Novelist - Www.littlenovelist.com - Book Excerpt
Hello...Chick
Lit - http://hellochicklit.com - Book Promo Post
June 16th
Rachel Brimble Romance
- http://www.rachelbrimble.blogspot.co.uk/ - Author Guest Post
Have
books, Will read - www.havebookswillread.wordpress.com - Book
Excerpt/Promo Post
Bookmyopia
- www.bookmyopia.wordpress.com - Book Excerpt
Book
Lover in Florida - https://bookloverfl12.wordpress.com/ - Book
Excerpt/Promo Post
Ali
- The Dragon Slayer - http://cancersuckscouk.ipage.com/ - Book Review
The
Book Basics - https://thebookbasics.wordpress.com/ - Book Review/Promo
Post
June
17th
Steamy Book Momma
- http://steamybookmomma0.blogspot.com - Book Review
Book
Groupies - http://bookgroupies2.blogspot.com/ - Book Promo Post
Brittany's
Book Blog - http://www.brittanysbookblog.com - Book Review
Sparkles
at Midnight - www.sparklesatmidnight.com - Book Review
MsWanderlust
- www.mswanderlust1963.wordpress.com - Book Review/Excerpt
Book Tour
Arranged by:
No comments
Post a Comment