A mom, her four children, a daughter’s boyfriend, an infant grandchild, another grandchild on the way, and occasionally her ex-husband all under one roof. Let’s add that up, that’s 8 going on 9. Anyone living in that home is bound to go crazy, but sometimes you just have to make it work and that’s exactly what Devon, a soon to be teen mom, is trying to do.

Devon is pregnant with her boyfriend (who is four years older) Colin’s baby. She is pretty sure she got pregnant when switching birth controls. She was originally on the pill and then changed to the NuvaRing. Did you know that for some birth control methods it takes some time before it is effective? Devon didn’t even know she was pregnant until five months into her pregnancy. One of Devon’s older sisters, Jamie, was also a teen mom; she was pregnant at 17 and is now a single mom living at home.  Younger siblings of teen parents are two to six more times more likely to become pregnant as teens than younger siblings of teens who are not parents.

A constant issue for Devon and Colin is space. Not surprisingly, space is limited in the house and Colin is really eager to move out. He has a full time job at a warehouse and is also part of the Army Reserves. Colin wants them to go ahead and buy their own house but Devon is hesitant because she has such a support system at home and she thinks it’s a better idea to save money. Who do you agree with? Was it better to save money or was it unrealistic to think that staying home was a good place to raise a baby? As they decide whether or not to move out, Devon decides to drop out of high school. She would rather just get her GED on her own time. She’s not alone in this decision…fewer than four in 10 mothers who have a child before age 18 have a high school diploma. Do you think Devon will get her GED in the near future?

Once Landon is born and Devon is responsible for taking care of him while Colin is at work, Devon quickly realizes how little space there is in the house. The changing table is used for storage rather than changing diapers! Devon and Colin decide that it’s a good idea to buy a new home. They find out they are eligible for about a $125,000 loan from the bank. After receiving the news, they quickly start searching for homes. Just as fast as they started their search, they must end it. Colin learns that he has been laid off from his job at the warehouse. This means they are no longer eligible for the loan and even if he gets another job in the near future, he has to be at a job for at least two months before qualifying for another loan.

Devon and Colin have to start making tough decisions. Devon is still eager to move out of her mom’s place, but Colin explains to Devon that it is difficult to find a job. He even suggests that he might go back to school to become a firefighter. Colin isn’t really excited about this idea because that means they will have to postpone buying a new home even longer. Colin also suggests that he reenlist for deployment, meaning that, while he’ll make more money, he’ll be eligible to be sent into a war zone. From the beginning of the episode, they both have expressed that they don’t consider this a real option but now they’re going to have to realistically think of anything…they have bills to pay and need money. Devon has a tough time dealing with all these decisions and begins to cry at the end of the episode. Do you think Colin will be able to find a job soon? Would you support Colin’s decision to go back to school or reenlist for deployment? Let me know what you think! 

This post was written by Roxanne, an intern for The National Campaign. Roxanne recently graduated from George Washington University where she studied human services and public health. She loves sports and traveling. She hopes to travel the world someday. Want to ask Roxanne a question? Send us an email!