Welcome back to Crazy Reddit Stories, the podcast where we dive into the wildest, most
jaw-dropping tale straight from the internet.
Today's episode is an emotional roller coaster, told from the perspective of a teenage guy
whose entire world gets flipped upside down when his girlfriend gets pregnant.
He thought he was just a regular high school kid, but now.
He's facing adult responsibilities, tough love from his parents, and a future he never
expected.
You can't deal with the pressure of becoming a dad when you're still trying to figure
out who you are.
And what happens when your parents force you to step up, ready or not?
Stick around, because this story is as raw and real as it gets.
So yeah, I guess I'll just start at the beginning.
My girlfriend, Jess, and I have been together since freshman year.
We're juniors now, and things have been getting, let's say, more intense.
We talked about waiting, you know?
Being smart.
But one night, we were at her house.
Her parents were out late, and it just kind of happened.
No big plan, no grand romantic buildup.
It was just the two of us feeling invincible like teenagers do.
I know how stupid that sounds.
Trust me, I'm beating myself up every single day about it.
And yeah, we didn't use protection.
We'll just be careful, I said.
Brilliant, right?
Fast forward a few weeks, and Jess is texting me during school saying she feels weird that
she's late.
I didn't freak out at first.
I thought this stuff happens, her period will show up.
It didn't.
She took a test at her house while I waited on FaceTime, pacing like a maniac.
When she held up the test with the two pink lines, my stomach dropped.
I remember saying, are you sure it's not broken or something?
But we both knew it wasn't.
The next few days were a blur.
Jess was crying all the time, and I was trying to act like I had it together, but inside
I was losing it.
I couldn't even look my parents in the eye.
She told her mom first, and her mom was surprisingly calm while comish.
Jess said they cried together, and then started talking about what to do.
But my house, that was a different story.
When I sat my parents down and told them, my mom's face just went pale.
She didn't even say anything for a full minute, and my dad looked at me like I just wrecked
his car.
Then they went straight into lecture mode.
How could you be so irresponsible?
What were you thinking?
Spoiler alert, I wasn't thinking.
But then came the part that totally blindsided me.
I figured they'd be pissed, but I thought they'd also help us figure out a way to not
ruin our lives.
Nope, my dad hit me with, well you made this decision, so now you're going to live with
it.
You'll support that child, and you'll do it while finishing school.
My mom nodded along like this was some kind of team decision.
I tried to explain that we weren't ready, that Jess and I had talked about other options,
but my dad cut me off.
This isn't up for debate.
That baby is your responsibility now.
So now, Jess is six weeks along, and it feels like my life is over before it even started.
I'm trying to be there for her, but I have no idea what I'm doing.
My parents are already talking about how we'll rearrange my schedule, so I can work part-time.
Jess's mom is trying to be supportive, but she keeps making comments like, this is going
to test your relationship.
No kidding lady, I'm scared out of my mind, and I know Jess is too.
Every time we talk about the future, it feels like this huge weight is crushing us.
I didn't think one bad decision could completely change everything, but here we are.
I guess we're going to be parents.
It's been a few weeks since I told my parents, and things haven't gotten any easier.
Actually, they've gotten a whole lot harder.
Jess and I are trying to keep things normal at school, but it's like there's this invisible
sign hanging over us.
Her morning sickness started, so she's constantly running to the bathroom, and of course, people
are starting to notice.
Some of her friends figured it out, and let's just say they haven't been great at keeping
it quiet.
By the time rumors started getting back to me, I was already feeling the pressure, but
this is like the whole school knows now.
Guys are giving me high fives in the hall like it's some badge of honor, and girls are
whispering about Jess like she's some cautionary tale.
She's been crying a lot more lately.
I don't blame her.
One night, she called me after a particularly rough day.
I can't do this, she said, her voice shaking.
I don't know how I'm going to get through this, and you're acting like you're fine.
You're not fine, are you?
That hit me like a truck because no, I'm not fine.
I told her I'm just trying to hold it together, trying not to freak out so that she doesn't
freak out more.
But she just said, we're in this together, so stop pretending.
That was the first time I really let myself break down.
I told her I'm scared that I don't even know how to be a good boyfriend right now, let alone
a dad.
She started crying again, but this time it wasn't just sadness.
It was relief, I think.
After that, we started trying to figure out the little things one step at a time.
I told her mom, she wants to finish school no matter what, and her mom agreed to help
with the baby when it comes.
My parents?
They're sticking to their tough love approach.
My dad is already talking about how I'll need to start saving for diapers, and my mom
handed me a stack of parenting books like that's going to magically prepare me.
But here's the thing, it's not just about the baby anymore.
It's about Jess and me too.
We're trying to keep our relationship together while everything around us is falling apart.
Some days, we're okay.
Other days, it feels like we're strangers who just happened to share this massive problem.
Last night, we had this weird moment of hope.
We were sitting in her room, talking about baby names of all things.
She likes to name Ellie for a girl.
I joked about naming a boy after my favorite basketball player, and she rolled her eyes
but laughed.
For a few minutes, it felt almost normal.
Like we weren't two terrified teenagers who have no idea what we're doing.
But then reality always comes crashing back.
Jess told me she's scared her body will never be the same.
I told her I'm scared I'll never get to go to college, that I'll be stuck working dead-end
jobs to support a kid I wasn't ready for.
She asked me if I regret it.
I wanted to say yes.
I mean, how could I not?
But I couldn't.
I told her I regret how it happened, but not this.
Not you.
So here I am, trying to make sense of this whole mess.
I'm still scared.
I'm still overwhelmed.
But I'm trying.
Jess is trying.
We're both just trying to figure out how to be the kind of people this kid can look up
to someday.
It's not the life we planned, but I guess it's the life we've got now.