'Guess what. I'm pregnant'
Kyle Jordan and his daughter Emily.
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Updated: July 15, 2009 5:05 PM
There’s nothing Kyle Jordan wouldn’t do for his little girl, but he sometimes wishes his life had been more settled before he had her.
Kyle was 22 years old at the time his girlfriend, “Shelly,” got pregnant with their child. They were not married, and neither had anything beyond a high school education.
It was a lot of responsibility so young.
The couple had dated for awhile in high school, and then reconnected by e-mail after Kyle moved to Alberta to live with his dad in 2004.
Shelly visited Kyle a couple of times in Alberta. After one of these visits in the summer of 2006, she phoned him with some news.
Shelly had suspected she was pregnant, but a home pregnancy test gave an iffy result. A visit to her family doctor confirmed her suspicions.
“Guess what. I’m pregnant,” she blurted out to Kyle over the phone.
He was shocked, and one of his first thoughts was that he had to move back home to Abbotsford and get a good-paying job.
Abortion was not an option. In previous discussions the couple had, Shelly made it clear that if she ever got pregnant, she could never go that route.
Kyle returned home that October, and the couple rented an apartment together. Kyle was employed at a fast-food restaurant, and Shelly worked in the deli of a grocery store.
Their daughter, Emily Lyn Jordan, was born March 19, 2007, weighing six pounds 14 ounces.
Holding her for the first time was one of the best moments of Kyle’s life.
Things fell apart about a year after Emily’s birth. The couple were fighting all the time, and they decided to separate.
Kyle and Emily now live with his mom and stepdad, an arrangement that affords the little girl the most stable environment. Shelly visits with her daughter most weekends, and her parents are also involved in Emily’s life.
Kyle is grateful to have his parents’ support, particularly now that he is in between jobs. He acknowledges that many young parents in his situation face extreme financial hardships.
He advises young men to become more established in their lives before having kids. He said having a child limits his social activities, and he hasn’t yet been able to pursue further education. He’s interested in a career in computers.
Kyle also advises young dads to get support. He’s active in the Father Involvement Program through Abbotsford Community Services, and has taken several parenting courses through them.
He does it all for Emily. She’s daddy’s little girl.
Facts about fathers:
Young mothers are often younger than fathers. In numerous cases, young parents are teenage mothers but not teenage fathers . . . Many studies confirm that not all fathers of children born to teenage mothers are adolescents . . . Rather, according to Ontario’s Report on the Teen Pregnancy Prevention, “a significant proportion of teen pregnancies result from relationships with older men rather than adolescent boys.”
Source: Ministry of Labour and Citizens’ Services
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