Choices
“It’s our chance to act like Jesus,” my dad explains to my sister and me. It was cold out and I could feel the chilling wind whipping at my face, smelling the reminisce of stale popcorn as he said this. We had just gotten out of the movie theater ambling behind my mother and Stephanie, my brother Eli’s girlfriend. My dad had recently told us that Stephanie would be staying with our family for a few weeks. Her mother had thrown her out of the house for a reason I was not old enough to understand. We were to be taking her in until she was welcomed back or capable of starting her own future plans. I was confused since Stephanie was already eighteen maybe she should be starting on her future plans now. I’ve only known here But, I am now aware to see that since she was only eighteen she was inadequate of making these decisions responsibly or alone. She and my brother’s coming actions showed that greatly. Coming from a set of strong faith filled parents, they were more than happy to help in the time of need; although, they did not know about the consequences that would soon follow.
My parents, as I assume most parents would do, set a few rules for my brother and his girlfriend. Their main rule was that the two were not allowed to sleep in the same bed as each other. To me it was a simple rule that could be easily followed. I never really saw Eli and Stephanie together around the house, for he worked night shifts and slept while Stephanie went to school during the day. So for the most part, nothing was really changing with my daily schedule. What started to seem weird was that my sister Mikayla was acting strange. She started crying in her room and avoiding everyone in our family including Stephanie. Every time I would attempt to ask her what was wrong, I was left unanswered and basically shut out.
I tried not to let this bother me, so I stayed busy. At this time, I was participating in the 2015 high school track season, which took up much of my time. During the season, I befriended a junior girl who helped me with my pole vaulting technique. While at this time when Mikayla continued to act weird, the girl from track came up to me one day on the turf at the high school, asking me if I knew what happened to Stephanie. There was an awkward silence after she asked me this because I was still unaware of what was going on and was greatly confused because something was obviously happening in my family that I was not aware of. I felt betrayed and left out. For me it feels like I’m almost not worthy enough and this confuses me because I’m family. I should be let known what’s going on, but since I haven’t been, it is hard to feel included. Why aren’t they respecting that? Naturally, I began asking questions but again was pushed away. I eventually noticed that the whole family was tense, so I backed off and kept to myself. I wallowed in my own seclusion.
Out of the blue after a few days have passed, my parents called my sister Mikayla, brother Josh, and me down to their room. Thoughts were rushing through my head as I sped down the wooden stairs that echoed my every step.
Am I in trouble? Did something happen? I also began to wonder if I would finally be able to figure out what had been going on around my house. As soon as I walked into the room, I could feel a tense mood arising. The looks on my parent’s faces were enough to shut my thoughts out and start listening in on what they had to say. The amount of emotion on their faces was a mix between anger and intense sadness. I did not really know what to do, so I just stayed quiet.
“This is not easy to tell you kids, and we’re very upset and angered right now,” my dad admitted. As he said this an overwhelming feeling of confusion and fear came across me for I had no idea as to what he was about to tell us.
Oh crap, this must be serious. I thought, realizing that this was for real.
“Your brother and Stephanie are pregnant,” my mom nervously added.
So many thoughts rushed through my head, but in all honestly, I was not surprised. With teens being teens and my brother’s naive mind, it was bound to happen. I wish I could have prevented it somehow knowing how it would unfold, but there was not much I could do.
They went on to explain how greatly this would impact our family and how disappointed they were. I may not have always agreed with my parents, but I knew to follow the rules to make life run smoothly and avoid situations like this. All my parents ever wanted for us kids was to just have a simple, faithful, and fun life. They stressed this so much because their own childhood was not pleasant, so their main priority was to provide us with a safe, loving family. To them, this was very heartbreaking and upsetting because they knew then that my brother Eli and Stephanie did not respect my parents and their rules. I, too, felt angry and wondered how I could trust him if he did not even respect my parents. I knew that if he did not respect my parents, then he also did not respect me or the entire family.
As I awake from my daydream of recounting memories, I can look at the situation from a fresh perspective. Even today, the pregnancy and violation of rules have always been a tense subject, but we still love that little baby boy Atlas. For my family and I, it is still hard to tell people that my brother and teenage girlfriend have a child because people can be very judgemental and view my family or me in a bad way. This leaves me with feelings of embarrassment.
Seeing this happen to my family is hard to deal with, and some people may not agree, but in it’s own way, it makes me realize the depth and responsibility in having a relationship with someone. I am also more aware of how I need to always be respectful of my parent’s guidelines for me because they are set for a reason. It is important that one respects himself and parents before making costful choices. Not only does one’s actions affect and impact himself, but also those around him.