Showing posts with label teen pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teen pregnancy. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Becoming Mommy...Becoming Me - Alisha Williams, Author


    •  
    • Avocado Salad w/ Tomatoes
    •   An Alisha Williams Special
    •  
    • 4 large ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks, or 20 cherry tomato's, halved
    • 2 ripe large Haas avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1-inch chunks
    • 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
    • Toasted Cumin Vinaigrette, recipe follows
    • 2 cups arugula leaves
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
    Directions:
    Gently mix the tomatoes, avocados, onions, arugula, and half of the vvinaigrette in a large bowl. Check for seasoning and add more vinaigrette, if needed. Sprinkle the cumin and cilantro over the top and serve immediately.
    • Vinaigrette:
    • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
    • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted
    • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • 1/4 cup canola oil
    • Salt and freshly ground pepper
    Whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, honey, cumin, and cilantro in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the oils until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Do not use a blender to make this vinaigrette
Alisha Williams


Becoming Mommy…Becoming Me – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
 
‘During the ultrasound the technician was happy showing me the heartbeat and telling me that the baby looked normal size for about a 9 week pregnancy.  I have to admit it was a little exciting seeing the baby on the screen.  After the technician wiped all the jelly off my stomach I went to use the bathroom because my bladder was about to explode.  When I came back in the room the whole atmosphere in the room had changed.  Now the technician was telling me that the baby wasn’t really a baby yet, it was only a bunch of cells at the moment.  I could feel the irritation in me building, because 5 minutes before this guy was showing me the heartbeat and explaining all the other features the “clump of cells” had.  I looked at Luke and I knew that he was having this guy feed me a bunch of bologna so that I would feel better about having an abortion.  After that my trust in Luke was broken.  I knew that the security that I felt before no longer existed.  I was still completely in love with him, but I knew that in order to make my own decision I would have to get away from him.’
 
In Becoming Mommy…Becoming Me, Alisha Williams tells her own story of becoming pregnant by someone she loved and thought loved her.  She exposes the pressure often inflicted by the father to have an abortion.  She also brings to light how naive young girls are when they find themselves in the position of being unmarried and pregnant.
 
But Alisha Williams doesn’t stop with just her own story.  Through the help of others who aren’t afraid to voice their own stories she tells us about Victoria who is only 14 years old and puts her baby up for adoption.  We hear from Madison who ends up with 2 children while with an abusive man.  Laurel who’s best friend actually talks her out of having an abortion.  And my favorite…Peanut who has 11 children ranging from age 2 to 18.  Six of which are adopted. 
 
There are many other stories about young girls/women who have become pregnant while unmarried, as well as married.  Their situations that led up to this unexpected news and their situation during and afterwards.  Each girl has their own unique story and each has their on ending.
 
When I was a teenager, if a girl became pregnant while unmarried, she was tagged as being a really bad influence.  As for the boys/fathers of these babies, they weren’t given a second thought.  It was always the girl’s fault and the boys were innocent.  Back then, having an abortion was simply out of the question leaving keeping the child or placing it up for adoption as the only other answer.  Plus, the pregnancy was kept as quiet as possible to protect, not necessarily the girl, but the girl’s family from the embarrassment.   The girl was not judged by everyone, no matter what the circumstances might be.
 
Reading Becoming Mommy…Becoming Me has opened my eyes and helped teach me not to judge.  No matter how right or wrong we feel keeping a child, giving it up for adoption or even having an abortion might be, before we bring our own judgment upon others, we need to know and feel their individual situations first.  And even then, we may still never understand the decisions they made.  Becoming Mommy…Becoming Me is a very enlighten book that needs to be read by anyone with children or anyone who might be planning, or not, on having children. 
 
124 pages
PublishAmerica
2009
ISBN# 978-1-4489-9979-8

 
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