Teen Pregnancy and the Resiliency Needed to Make it Through

Learn From People Who Lived it

Teen Pregnancy and the Resiliency Needed to Make it Through

In this episode, you'll hear:

• What would Andrea do if one of her children entered teen pregnancy?
• The toll the reaction from her family and church took on her and how she healed from it
• What Andrea thinks leads to teen pregnancy
• Where does resilience come from, and how can we foster it?

Andrea Wallen was raised in a Christian household with her brother and two sisters. She was homeschooled, so going to church multiple times a week was her main outlet and something that was very near and dear to her heart. When she was 16 and singing in the church choir, a new face walked in. It was an older boy who would eventually become the father of her first son. Contrary to conventional assumptions, Andrea tells us she believes that if she hadn't been homeschooled, she may not have gotten pregnant so young because she “would have known more” about life.

After she became pregnant, her church told her she was not welcome back because she was a “bad example”. When she told her parents, they offered to help her raise the child but told her if she didn't accept their terms and ever left, she could never come back. Andrea decided she’d rather stay with the father of her children and left home to get married. Shortly after, her son was born. A few months after that, her husband was deployed to Iraq. When he came back, she says he was a whole different person, and there were many scary nights she spent hiding from him due to his struggles with PTSD. Eventually, she left him, and before she was even 21, she began to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.

There was a period of time when her son was a few years old, when they were homeless, living in a hotel, and had no car, when she realized she needed her parents. At that time, her parents were going through a divorce, and like they told her, she was not welcome back. There were moments when she felt like her family was falling apart, and it was her fault. This weight, combined with being told she was a disappointment by her parents and church, took a toll on her self-worth. However, she maintained her faith and tells us now that it was the only thing that gave her hope and set her on solid ground.

Through it all, she just kept going. She lived many years in survival mode, and eventually, her resilience brought her to a life that she says she dreamed of on those nights when she was sleeping in a shed. She tells us it was her son who kept her going. She knew she couldn't let him down, and she had no other option than to make it work.

“Even if your life isn't stable in your living condition, know that you can be their stability. You are their rock. You are what their foundation is going to be when they look back.”

In this episode, you'll hear:

• The psychological impact of being pushed out of the church
• What would Andrea do if one of her children entered teen pregnancy?
• The toll the reaction from her family and church took on her and how she healed from it
• Why Andrea hasn't lost her faith and how her relationship with the church is different today
• The importance of stable relationships, especially without stable living conditions
• What Andrea thinks leads to teen pregnancy
• Where does resilience come from, and how can we foster it?

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Resources:

• Dr. Frank Bevacqua

Connect with Mathew Blades:

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• Website - learnfrompeoplewholivedit.com/

Additional Credits:

• LFPWLI is managed by Sam Robertson