I was way too young to be a mother.  But at the age of sixteen I found that I was pregnant.  My world would take a complete turn around in a matter of weeks.

Over the following weeks, decisions were made for us.  I was to marry Tony, in a quick wedding three weeks later.  I was to quit school in my junior year of high school.  We were shuffled between one family and another..... prenatal care was unregular until in the later months of pregnancy.

My son was born on September 18, 1982, at 5:28pm after sixteen hours of labor.  He was completely healthy, weighing 6 pounds 9 1/2 ounces and 19 inches long.  I found out the next day that my husband had my Dad and Stepmother ordered off the maternity floor... even though this angered me, there was nothing I could do about it.  After a couple days in the hospital, we were released to go home.

Home now being my husbands parent's three bedroom trailer.  Space was the biggest of problems.... there was no room for a crib, even though my son didn't have one.  For the first two weeks he slept in a rectangle laundry basket.
 
 

The next move was to my Grandmother-in-laws home.  And at this time my Grandmother paid for a crib.  Space was a little better there.... but it was also about two hours away from the area I knew and had lived.  This didn't last long either.
Tony and his Grandmother fought constantly.  Mainly over the way that he treated me and how little of attention that he gave to our son.  He made the mistake of smacking me in her presence.  I don't even remember now why he had done that.  When she gave him a good scolding and he told her to butt out.... Then she said we had to go.