His Girlfriend Is Pregnant And Pressuring Him To Tie The Knot Before Their Baby Is Born, But He’s Only 17 And Doesn’t Feel Like He’s Ready
This 17-year-old young man thought he knew exactly where his life was headed. His plan was to finish high school, begin working in construction, just like his dad, and slowly build his career – brick by brick.
He’s also in a relationship, and his 19-year-old girlfriend is already in her sophomore year of college, studying to be a nurse.
“We were both young and in love, thinking we had all the time in the world to plan our lives,” he recalled.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, everything was turned upside down. Just a few weeks ago, he found out that his girlfriend was pregnant, and he was shell-shocked – particularly because they’d always been safe.
Nonetheless, she’s expecting a baby, and now, his vision of his future has totally changed.
To his surprise, though, his girlfriend was actually quite calm in the wake of this situation. She spoke about how they’d make it work together and discussed her intentions to balance both going to school and raising their baby.
However, his girlfriend then dropped a pretty big bomb. She claimed that she wanted to get married prior to their baby being born.
“I was floored. Marriage? I love her, but I’m only 17 and still in high school. I haven’t even started my job in construction yet, and marriage just feels like a huge, overwhelming step,” he detailed.
He wound up telling his girlfriend that he needed some time to think about it, but it soon became clear that his hesitation was really hurting her.
MeganBetteridge – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
That’s because, over the following few days, she wouldn’t stop bringing up the idea of tying the knot. Apparently, she believes that it would be the “right thing” to do for their baby.
His girlfriend’s parents are quite traditional as well, so they agree with her and are pushing them to get engaged.
“I can feel the pressure from all sides, but every time I think about it, I just feel like I’m not ready,” he admitted.
“I’ve barely started my own life – how can I commit to something as huge as marriage right now?”
Eventually, he came clean to his girlfriend about his feelings, too. He also made it clear that he wasn’t saying “no” forever. Rather, he just wanted to take some time to finish high school, land a job, and make sure they were stable before they took such a big step together.
In his mind, it didn’t make sense to rush into marriage simply due to the fact that they were having a baby together.
Unfortunately, his girlfriend didn’t understand that and actually accused him of not loving her or their child enough. She even stated that if he truly cared about them, he would “do the right thing” and marry her.
He kept attempting to explain how he loved his girlfriend and their baby and planned to be there for both of them, but he didn’t feel that marriage was the answer right now. Even so, he and his girlfriend got into a big fight, and things in their relationship have been tense ever since.
Her parents have also gotten involved and won’t stop pressuring them to wed. In fact, her parents are actually offering to help him and his girlfriend out financially if they go through with getting married.
Thankfully, his own parents are supportive of him and reassured him that it’s okay to wait to tie the knot.
Despite that, he cannot shake the feeling that he’s still letting everyone down.
“I’m torn between wanting to do what’s best for my girlfriend and our baby and feeling completely unprepared for marriage at 17,” he vented.
This has left him wondering if refusing to marry his girlfriend is understandable or if he should just do it for the sake of their baby.
Do you think he should be pressured into such a big commitment? Or should he do what feels right? What advice would you give him?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
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