Buckle Your Chin Strap
This book is being written to help fathers, mothers, pregnant teens, and families cope with the challenges that a teenage pregnancy can bring. When a teenager makes the choice of sex before marriage and becomes pregnant, the consequences are indeed life changing. But they don’t necessarily need to be life ending. The life of the unborn child does not need to end. The life and dreams of the teenage mother do not need to end. The life of the grandparents does not end. All roads lead to the same destination. If you are grounded in faith in Christ, you just take the detours. With every decision you make in life, there is a consequence. Consequences occur regardless of the decision you make. The question is what can you live with?
Teenage pregnancy is a tough journey for the entire family. In 2006, our youngest of four children, Mollie, made a choice that will forever change her life and ours. The journey she chose to take was one that gave life to her son Brayden Michael. He was born on April 18, 2007, on his Mom’s 17th birthday. What kind of birthday present Brayden was and is shall continue to evolve. As Mollie’s parents, the most difficult thing to do was to counsel her on all the decisions and consequences, but to let her make all the decisions. At 16, she surprised us not only with the pregnancy, but with all the decisions she made along the journey.
In writing this book, it is my sincere hope that it can be God’s work, not mine. If it helps just one teenager decide to give life to her baby, then God’s will be done. If it helps a father guide his family during his teenager’s pregnancy, then God’s will be done. If it helps the teenager’s mother have faith during her daughter’s pregnancy experience, then God’s will be done. Although it was one of the toughest experiences of my life, it was a blessing. As a football player through high school and college, I learned a valuable lesson. When you get knocked down and you will in life, the most important thing is to get back up and “Buckle Your Chin Strap.” Play the next play. In order to play that next play, the Holy Spirit can help you buckle that chin strap if you seek Him and ask Him for His help. He did for me, and my prayer is that He will help you as He did me regardless of your situation in life. May God bless your journey. Buckle your chin strap with the Lord and He will help you all win in any worthy endeavor you are fighting for in the end.