story 7

November 18, 2010

Megan Norenberg

Teen Dad Wilson

  

                                 Move Over Teen Mom, Teen Dad is Coming Through

Being a parent at any age is a struggle. Now, imagine being a single parent. There is only one set of hands and one income. To make things even more difficult, imagine being a single teenage parent.

   The hit MTV show Teen Mom has shown the world the struggles of teenage parents. The show, which is a spin-off of the other hit MTV show 16 and Pregnant, documents the lives of four teen parents. Each mother in the show represents a different kind of hardship. Whether it is fighting between the parents, missing the daughter they gave up for adoption, or mourning the loss of one of the fathers, the show has all the necessary drama needed. One thing the show does not highlight on, being a teen dad.

   If MTV were to create a show called Teen Dad, Brandon Wilson would make an exceptional candidate. Wilson, now 20-years-old, is a single father of a year-and-a-half old daughter, Delilah. The father has all the right credential s for a Teen Dad show.  He goes to work and school as well as takes care of his daughter.

   “Being a single father makes me work harder to meet my goals”, Wilson tells. With only four credits left in school Wilson is “powering through it” so he can go on to college and get a full time job to further support his daughter. Even though he is highly motivated to reach these goals it is still hard for him to do by himself.

   His daily routine consists of waking up at 7 a.m. and getting Delilah ready then gets himself ready. Once they are both up and dressed for the day he makes breakfast for the both of them then their day starts. Delilah is dropped off at daycare and Wilson goes to either school or work depending on his schedule. Around 4 p.m. he picks up Delilah and has dinner done by 5 p.m. “By bedtime I am exhausted,” Wilson says, “but I still have to clean, do laundry, and sometimes just take time for myself.”

   “Sure it is hectic, and tiring, and sometimes I feel insane but it is the best thing that has happened to me”, Wilson admitted. He remembered the day his daughter was born.”I cried, cried, and then I couldn’t stop smiling. It started to hurt after awhile”, Wilson joked.

    One of the biggest struggles Wilson faces is doing all of this alone. “I cannot afford to miss a day of work or school”, Wilson said while sighing, “rent is $700, daycare is $260 a week, plus groceries and gas.”  Without having an extra hand on the weekends, Wilson’s parents take Delilah while he is working. “It is nice having a free babysitter on the side”, Wilson said with a laugh.

   With teen pregnancy becoming more popular in the United States, Wilson stresses the use of contraceptives. Wilson shared that at the time that Delilah’s mother got pregnant they were using both birth control and condoms. “It proves that teenagers really need to be careful when they are having sex”, Wilson stressed.

   “I didn’t think it would be this hard”, Wilson tells,” I really wasn’t ready for this challenge.” When asked if he had any advice on being a teen parent, Wilson said, “Don’t let it [pregnancy] get you down. Being a parent is a beautiful thing even with all of the stress, so don’t slack off! You need to be all you can be not only for yourself but for your child as well.”