Life Interrupted The Scoop on Being a Young Mom

Life Interrupted Copyright © 2004 by Tricia Goyer Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Goyer, Tricia. Life interrupted : the scoop on being a young mom / Tricia Goyer. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-310-25316-0 1. Teenage mothers - Religious life. 2. Unmarried mothers - Religious life. I. Title. BV4529.18.G69 2004 248.8'33 - dc22 2004004686 All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked LB are taken from The Living Bible © 1971. Used by permis-sion of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scripture quotations marked TEV are taken from Today's English Version. Copyright American Bible Society 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992. Used by permission. The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of Zondervan, nor do we vouch for their content for the life of this book. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other - except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Interior design by Beth Shagene Printed in the United States of America 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 / .DC / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 do I matter? importance The deepest principle in the human nature is the craving to be appreciated. - William James, author Erica handed the food stamps to the grocery store clerk. She tried to appear natural, as if it didn't bother her that the government, not she, supported her child. Two-month-old Kayla fastened in the shopping-cart baby seat. The clerk had smiled at the baby but didn't ask Erica any of the friendly questions new mothers typically get. Instead, Erica spotted something else in the woman's gaze. Disapproval, with a hint of accusation. Erica tucked her change into her jacket pocket and loaded her few bags of groceries into the cart. Before reaching the exit Erica noticed an elderly woman approaching. The woman's eyes fastened intently on Kayla. At least someone's interested in giving my baby some well-deserved attention, Erica thought. Kayla's pacifier wiggled up and down with each suck. Erica started to smile as the woman's frail hand reached toward Kayla's face. But instead of stroking the baby's cheek, the woman plucked the pacifier from her mouth. "That thing's nasty." She dropped it into Erica's trembling hand. "Don't you know not to use those things?" The woman stalked away before Erica could respond. Heat crept up Erica's neck to her face. Ignoring the customers who had witnessed the scene, she hur-ried to her small, blue hatchback. Erica struggled to hold back the tears. Did they think she was a bad mother? That she was a failure because of her age? Erica fastened Kayla in her car seat with a peck on her forehead. She then plopped the groceries into the trunk and slid into the driver's seat. It was always the same. The looks. The comments. The lack of respect. Even a few weeks ago at the doctor's office, her valid concerns for her daughter had been ignored. "It's just colic," the doctor had claimed, rushing off to visit the next low-income patient. It was only Erica's persistence, days later, which brought more tests and a better diagnosis. Having a baby at her age was difficult enough, but the reactions of those around her made being a motherGoyer, Tricia is the author of 'Life Interrupted The Scoop on Being a Young Mom', published 2004 under ISBN 9780310253167 and ISBN 0310253160.