deep breath...

It's been an interesting week. I got a phone call on Thursday afternoon from my 16 year-old godson... he told me that his ex-girlfriend gave birth an hour earlier. To his son.

This was the first I'd heard about this situation from him. He never told me she was pregnant. So there wasn't much I could say to him after the fact. I told him that I'm hurt that he didn't tell me sooner. And while I don't agree with the decisions he made, I won't lecture him, because I'm not his mother. I told him I admire his decision to be in the baby's life - he grew up without knowing his father, and I urged him to make sure that never happens to his son. And I told him I love him.

He asked me to come see the baby. I wasn't going to offer, but since he asked, I couldn't say no. So after work on Friday, I drove to the hospital to meet the baby. It was a surreal moment to walk into the room and see my godson holding his son. Babies having babies.

Before I left work, my friend told me to be strong. It's not the worst thing that's ever happened. I know that. And he's not the first kid to be in this situation. I know that, too. Then she told me that I'd probably fall in love the minute I laid eyes on the baby. And I did. Damn her for being right, lol. But that doesn't change my feelings on the situation.

It's just so hard for me to wrap my brain around it. I don't get why kids want to grow up so fast. Being a teacher, I'm privvy to a lot of information I'd rather not know. I've heard stories about our 6th, 7th and 8th graders who are having sex or smoking pot. They want to drink and smoke. The girls wear revealing clothes and talk about having boyfriends as early as 4th and 5th grade.

If they wanna grow up so fast, let them get a real taste for what it's like to be an adult. For one week, make them go to work and deal with deadlines, bosses and responsibilities. Let them pay some bills ... or pay for gas. Let them wake up 3 or 4 times in the middle of the night with a baby that won't stop crying. And then make them change the diapers and clean the spit-up. They don't know how good they have it right now.

Ugh. I went off on a tangent. I didn't mean to. I just needed to vent.