You said you had a headache, your stomach hurts, or your foot was so swollen you couldn’t walk. But really you were unprepared for a physics test, didn’t want to deal with dramatic friends, or were recovering from the prior day’s embarrassment.
Now your daughter does the same thing. But how far would she go? Author Gaby Rodriguez lies in order to make a difference and explains it all in a book she co-wrote with Jenna Glatzer called “The Pregnancy Project” (Simon and Schuster).
While most kids have some idea of what they want to be someday, Rodriguez knw what she didn’t want to be — a teen mom.
It was a family legacy she wanted to avoid. Her mother was pregnant at 15, all of her older siters were pregnant in high school, and some of her brothers were fathers before they were out of their teens. Everybody in her Oegon community figured that Rodriguez would embrace the family tradition.
She knew from experience that when a girl becomes a mother too young her education suffers and that was not an option for budding, young author. She had her sights set on college. Yet she was curious. What would people say if she did get pregnant? Would their attitudes toward her change? What would it be like to live the stereotype?
Since her senior project was looming and mandatory for graduation, Rodriguez decided to try a bold experiment. With the help of her mother, boyfriend, best friend, and a few trusted teachers, she pretended to be pregnant. All of her classmates and her siblings believed she was expecting a baby that April.
The situation wasn’t easy and after enduring stares, whispers, and nasty comments Rodriguez thought about quitting few times. Yet she persevered, even creating a fake bump out of clay and paddng.
The reader accompanies Rodriguez on an emotional journey of discovery during and after her senior project. “The Pregnancy Project,” is a brave story with a dash of brlliance and a twist of wide-eyed amazement.
Yet, what Rodriguez learns during her experience isn’t nearly as important as the guidane Glatzer offers to girls in this book. The co-authors are blunt about the pain of smug, unwarranted comments by friends and candid about the surprising anger Rodriguez felt in response. They offer firm and practical advice for sexually active teens. So if you’re a girl who is contemplating pregnancy, do yourself a favor, and read “The Pregnany Project.” It just might change your mind.
“The Pregnancy Project,” by Gaby Rodriguez with Jenna Glatzer [218 pages, Simon and Schuster, 2012, $17.99] is recommended for teenaged girls.
Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.
