Advice for pregnant teens and teen parents

Celebrity mother Pattie Mallette discusses her experiences as a teen mother and offers helpful advice for other young women are dealing with the same issues that she once was.
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Advice for pregnant teens and teen parents

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Being a teen parent was one of the hardest things that I ever had to do. I remember recently going back to visit the pregnancy home that I lived at, the whole time I was pregnant with my son, and seeing the girls. They just had so many questions. One of the questions was, "How am I going to do this?," and "What do I have to offer?" They didn't have anything. I remember saying "You have love." You look at all these different countries, all over the world, where they have nothing, and they are some of the happiest people in the world. You have some families that have everything, and they have some of the most miserable kids in the world, because they don't value love as the most important thing. I think that's really important--to really encourage teens to really love their kids and know that that's enough. I also want to encourage teen moms to really utilize the resources available to them. There's so many amazing programs. There's even groups that you can get, support groups that you can join, and things that you can do to really be the best mom you can be.

Celebrity mother Pattie Mallette discusses her experiences as a teen mother and offers helpful advice for other young women are dealing with the same issues that she once was.

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Pattie Mallette

New York Times Best Selling Author, Award Winning Film Producer, & Inspirational Speaker

Pattie Mallette grew up in Stratford, Ontario overcoming unimaginable obstacles in the face of abuse, poverty and an unexpected teen pregnancy. She now uses her voice to inspire others as a bestselling author, producer and influential speaker. In 2012, Pattie published her memoir, Nowhere But Up (Revell), which became a New York Times bestseller within the first week of its release. As an executive producer she worked on “Crescendo,” a short film that received 11 international film festival honors prior to its premier in February 2013. Proceeds of “Crescendo” are being used to support crisis pregnancy centers worldwide, a passion of Pattie’s that grew from her own experience. As a single parent at 18, Pattie was personally assisted by a center, which despite her difficult circumstances enabled her to be the best mother possible to her son, Justin. Continuing her desire to help others give voice to their own stories, Pattie became an executive producer of “Day One,” starring Kat Dennings (2 Broke Girls). Set to release in winter 2013, the feature film is inspired by the true story behind the global movement To Write Love on Her Arms.

Pattie recently launched her foundation called Round 2, which seeks to offer a second chance to those who have been knocked down by providing assistance and resources to those in distress. Across all platforms, her authenticity and candidness are magnetic to adolescents and adults alike as she fearlessly brings to light her own wounds and addresses sensitive issues with wisdom and insight.

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