July 1, 2018
I guess now is as good a time as any to begin this blog thing. As promised in my About section, I will use today’s post to tell you a little bit more about me….you know a little insight into Diva Attorney!
Two things that occurred in my youth had the most impact on the person that I am. Today, I’m going to write about becoming a mother…at the ripe age of 15. Yep, Diva Attorney brought one of the most intelligent, caring, and beautiful young ladies into this world in 1996.
I was a freshman in high school. I already knew that I was pregnant going into freshman year, but I wouldn’t tell anyone until I as almost six months pregnant in January. I was under the impression that if I just ignored my pregnancy that some how it would just go away….yep, so much for being the smart girl in advanced program! I couldn’t fathom the disappointment that my mom, teachers, family, and others would feel after having such high hopes for my future. I had let everyone down.
People would make comments about my weight, but I would just blame it on eating too much or being bloated. In January 1996, shortly before returning to school after Christmas Break, my mom wouldn’t let up (looking back on it, I don’t know if she was in denial too or just wanted very much to believe her daughter wouldn’t lie about something so serious) and threatened to take me to the hospital, because I was either pregnant or had a tumor….well obviously I would not wait and let a doctor tell her what was wrong.
Once my secret was out, it seemed my belly grew exponentially overnight. Initially, I felt relief that I no longer had to hide my secret. It didn’t take long before people began to whisper “behind my back” but I heard it all – you know the “I can’t believe she just wasted her future like that.” Relief turned to sadness, sadness turned to anger, and anger turned to determination. Determination to show people that having a baby was not the end of the world. With my biggest supporter and cheerleader (my momma) by my side, we would show everyone that there was life after becoming a teenage mother. I graduated high school in the top 3% of my class, received my bachelor’s degree in 4 years, went straight to law school and graduated on time. Mom at 15, Lawyer by 25. It wasn’t always easy and I didn’t always get the family/school/work balance right, but we made it.
Determination to prove people wrong…to show them that I would be somebody.