baby mama

Jamie got a call from an old friend the other day, the girl she was extremely close to as a child. Mickie grew up in a strange home, but that was mostly due to her own mom, who struggled to fit into the usual mother role.

It all started when she'd broken up with her long term bf, run away to another province, and came back when things went to shit there. Ben took her back, even though she was pregnant with another man's child, and he raised Mickie as his own. A few years later they had Mickie's sister and carried on as a family.

The thing was, Ben loved Mickie's mom so much more than she loved him. Over the years it became apparent to everyone in their circle, and unfortunately, to their children. Noni had birthday parties for her kids, but often embarrassed the girls by smoking weed with men friends in the adjoining rooms and scaring some of the young guests. Eventually they started swinging, although I can't imagine it was Ben's idea. Mickie was pissed when she caught her mom sleeping with the dad of one of her good friends, but things got worse when she realized both her mom and dad were having cyber sex with other couples.

By this time she was fifteen and had realized that she could use her looks and her body to get things that she wanted, but to be honest she mostly wanted to party. I can't blame her for that! Many people I know, including myself, have gone through years of clubbing and experimenting with drugs, and certainly, many young moms I knew brought in babysitters and didn't go home for days. I wasn't one of those. I liked being in my own bed and usually had to work the next day, and besides, I always felt sorry for those kids.

At any rate, it wasn't a surprise that Mickie was the first of their group to become pregnant and keep the baby, and it hasn't been so shocking that she is still struggling to keep everything together - there has been the on & off relationship with the baby's dad, as well as a plan for Mickie to attend school. I hear she'd like to be a make-up artist, which sounds like something she'd be great at. But in between making all these plans is this ten month baby girl, who is caught up in the lives of two young kids.

Their friends betray them by sleeping with one or the other, they run off for a week at a time, leaving the baby behind with Noni, or Mickie's little sister, who is graduating from high school this year. There's name calling and accusations and hard feelings and all the other drama that goes on with baby mamas.

This past Thursday, we got the call from Mickie, who needed someone to watch her little girl while she dealt with more stuff from the baby's dad. Jamie and I picked her up, took her with us on errands, and played with her at home. Bill fell in love with her! It was fun. For the most part, she is very well cared for. She had clean, well fitting clothes, plenty of bottles and diapers, and she was smiley even though she missed her mama and cried for her from time to time.

I wish with all my heart, that Mickie gets to stop the cycle with this little girl. I hope things turn around for her and things go well, and that she can set a different example than the one she followed. It still freaks me out that she actually has a child, because I cannot picture Jamie with one! But I wish only the best for her.