Full Forecaste

Story Photos

Britt Land shares a moment with her son Laken on Friday in Longview. Bill Wagner / The Daily News

Past Month's Most Commented Stories

Home > Area News

Standout Grad: Britt Land is open about challenges of being a teen mother

Monday, June 2, 2008 11:32 PM PDT

By Barbara LaBoe

Font Size:
 
 

Babies may be cute, but not when they’re crying at three in the morning. And not when you’re still a kid yourself.

That’s what Britt Land told her Toutle Lake High School classmates during a school-wide assembly this spring about her two years as a teen mom. She adores her son Laken, 23 months. And family and school officials marvel at how she’s handled everything.

But Britt doesn’t want anyone else following in her footsteps.

“I want other girls to know how rough it is,” she said of her pregnancy and child rearing. “I want them to know it’s not a joke.”

Britt didn’t find out she was pregnant until her seventh month, saying she knew she was gaining weight while playing softball and soccer but never dreamed it was a baby. She turned 16 shortly before Laken was born at the end of her sophomore year.

As word got out about her pregnancy, Britt said she was shunned and whispered about by some classmates and their parents. What stung the most, Britt said, was that she was far from the only teenager having sex. That’s why she asked to share her story in the assembly.

“I just want teen girls to know it’s OK to wait,” she said. “I want them to know what it’s like. And I wanted to scare them a bit, too.”

“It went over really well,” school counselor Judy Frandsen said of the assembly. “She broke down a number of times talking about how students don’t really take sex seriously at this age and they ought to. ... If she got through to even a couple of students, it’s a good thing.”

Despite the struggles, Britt said it never occurred to her to quit school. When other pregnant teens approach her for advice, she tells them to stay in school to provide their child a good life.

“To see a young person come to the plate like that and accept responsibility and follow through is just absolutely a miracle,” said her grandmother Barbara Hackney, who recently retired as a Kent, Wash., principal.

Initially, Britt switched to the Running Start program and attended classes at Lower Columbia College to accommodate her work and childcare schedule. She works as a waitress at Riverview Restaurant in Cathlamet to pay for Laken’s needs.

Britt transferred back to Toutle Lake this last semester to graduate with her class, even though it meant commuting from Cathlamet where she lives with her mother, stepfather and three younger sisters.

Laken’s father — he and Britt no longer date — pays child support and watches his son every other weekend. But Britt, not her mother, is Laken’s main care-giver and the one who stays up nights when he’s sick — even when she has class the next morning. Laken is in daycare during the day.

“She really has done a pretty amazing job,” Frandsen of Britt’s balancing act. “The stuff that she deals with is so far removed from the typical senior stuff.”

Her mother, Dawn Johnston, calls Britt “my idol,” saying she’s seen grown women crack under the pressures her daughter has weathered. Johnston agonized about “failing” her daughter when she first learned of the pregnancy but said Britt and the entire family have since rallied around Laken.

Asked how she managed, Britt said she just had to.

“I’m not a kid anymore,” she said. “Knowing I’m not just raising myself pushes me a million times harder.”

Britt Land, Toutle Lake High School

Age: 18

Hometown: Cathlamet

Parents: Dawn Johnston and Jamie Land

Future plans: Complete associate’s degree at Lower Columbia College, then study psychology or dental hygienics at either Eastern Washington University or Central Washington University.

Favorite musical artist/group/band: “I don’t have one, I like everything”

Favorite teacher: Linda Smith, history/English; Eric Swanson, physical education

In her own words:

If you could talk to anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

“God.”

What is your favorite high school memory?

“Probably the speech I gave (about being a teen mom). Because I got to share my story and try to help people.”

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Read people’s minds.

Previous 2008 Standout Grads

Trang Le, Mark Morris

Kristen Merry, R.A. Long

Previous Next

Grandmother wrote on Jun 3, 2008 8:11 AM:

" Good for you Brit. I'm so glad to see that you've taken your situation and made it such a positive! You are exactly right, kids are having sex and not even considering the possibilities. Then when someone becomes pregnant all they do is scorn and whisper, not even considering the reality of how it could have happened to them! I wish you and your precious son the best. "

mom of 2 wrote on Jun 3, 2008 8:33 AM:

" Taking care of your son at 2 maybe 3 in the morning when you have class the next morning? I think that is beyond great. Also you paying for your sons needs and not your mother is a great accomplishment too. Not many teen mothers out there can say that. It sounds like you have a great head on your shoulders. Keep it up. I'm sure there will be negative comments on here somewhere along the line, but people need to keep in mind her and the father are both taking the responsibility of THEIR child and not someone else. I wish her luck in all that she does in the future. She sounds like a wonderful mom. "

DaCoug wrote on Jun 3, 2008 8:34 AM:

" Great job Brit. You have taken a negative situation and turned it around. I attended LCC with Brit. I was one of her team members in Chem 101. With me being in my 30s I was surprised with her maturity and she was always prepared. It is nice to see a young mother that is a good role model for their child. "

blec143@yahoo.com wrote on Jun 3, 2008 8:39 AM:

" I have to congratulate this young lady for finishing school and making a life for her and her child. I have to tell you I was a single mom at 21 years of age and it was the hardest thing I thought I would ever go through in my life time I could never imagine being a single mom at 16. I am still a single mom to my 7 year old son that is the light of my life and everyday is rough but it seems that it gets a bit easier as time goes by. Brit being a stranger and not knowing who you are some encouraging words for you from a single mom is keep up the good work and know that they are people that look up to you, you are an idol. "

bigdar wrote on Jun 3, 2008 8:49 AM:

" Seems as though this young mother really has it together. Nice that she felt comfortable enough with her situation to share her story. She must have had an amazing support group during these trying times. "

greenbean wrote on Jun 3, 2008 9:02 AM:

" Britt, when you finish college (I'm sure you will) and are looking for a job in your chosen career, be sure to put a brief description of this experience in your resume. The fact that you continued in school and worked hard to support yourself, and then gave a speech to your class is all VERY impressive. And as someone who makes hiring decisions, I think employers would want to know this. Even though it's not "work" experiece, it shows your character. "

robertk wrote on Jun 3, 2008 10:00 AM:

" Britt has become a good Mom and has come a long way. She has had a lot of help with Laken and I know that they Father is doing more than just "watching Laken every other weekend" The Father has stepped up and is doing his part, and should get credit for doing so. Those of us that have been there sense Laken was born know the real story. "

mom of 2 wrote on Jun 3, 2008 10:14 AM:

" Re: robertk
You are completely right. I made my comment about Britt because the article is about her and her accomplishments. So I must add, that it sounds like the dad is doing a great job to help support the child as well. I wish them both luck in being great parents. "

dingbat wrote on Jun 3, 2008 12:18 PM:

" It is hard for me to express how much I admire Britt. So many times since I had a son at 17 I have wished that I would've handled it like she has. Although I took care of my baby (with A LOT of help from my mom) and loved him to death, I made other bad choices. I quit high school because I was embarrassed and couldn't handle what was being said about me. I got on welfare and didn't realize how stupid that was until I was too old to go back to high school. I knew I had to do something so I got my GED and a garbage degree when I was 20. After a few years of cleaning toilets, I went to work dealing cards and have worked in 3 different casinos. I make really good money now but it's never given me a very rewarding feeling. Anyway, I am 34 now and my son is 17. So far he is making better choices than his mom did. So, I guess I did something right!? lol I think my story is close to the same as MOST teen moms which shows just how AMAZING Britt is. I envy and admire everything she has done so far and everything she will accomplish in her life ahead. I'm sure she will do many valuable things with her life and she won't have to wonder what could've been...like I always will. "

bigdar wrote on Jun 3, 2008 2:30 PM:

" To dingbat, at 34, your life is far from over although you sound like you have given up and resigned yourself to being a card dealer for the rest of your life. You are young enough to do anything you want and you might start by calling yourself something besides dingbat. Renmember you are 34 not 84. It is far from too late for you to do whatever you want in life. "

lola*in*longview wrote on Jun 3, 2008 5:03 PM:

" Well dingbat, why don't you stop sobbing about your past abnd do something about your future. It may be hard to do but it will be worth all the work in the end. As for Britt you are Awesome and should be VERY PROUD OF YOURSELF just like your son will when he finds out all you did when you were so young to give him the things he needed. For the father, cudos to you also it is not often that you see a young father paying his child support and having great times with there children. You both are great examples of what should happen when the unexpected pregnancy happens. It happens to the best of people, and your two of them. Good luck with all your future endevers. "

orygungurl68 wrote on Jun 5, 2008 1:05 AM:

" Britt, I am very proud of you. My sister Mary Jean graduated from Toutle in 1991. She gave birth to my wonderful nephew in March of 1991. Mathew was just about 3 months old when she graduated. When she found out she was pregnant she had to give up basketball, but she did not quit school. She did miss playing basketball that year, but she would never give up her schooling. I am sure its hard being a teen mother, working and going to school. Again I am very proud of you and for talking to other girls. Keep up the wonderful work. "

concernedparent wrote on Jun 5, 2008 8:59 AM:

" I was also in Britt's shoes at one time as well. I got pregnant during the end of my senior year in high school and my baby's father was only a junior when he was born. The Daily News featured an article about us during Valentines Day, called "Young Love" and you wouldn't believe the negativity we received. The article was not meant to encourage teens to get pregnant at an early age, but rather to commend us for stepping up to the plate and taking care of our responsibilities. We had people writing in saying that it was a discrace that we were being featured and that they should be focusing on other teens who are actually "doing things the right way". I was very hurt by all of this. Despite the fact of me becoming pregnant, I continued and graduated from High school and so did his father. I then went on to college and got a degree when he was 1 year old. It definitely was a tough road for me, however, I wouldn't change anything about my life if I could. My son is now 12 years old and I am 31 and I have loved and ejoyed every minute w/ him since the day he was born! Britt you will never regret bringing this little boy into the world. He has changed your life for sure-but believe me-in a very wonderful way! "

concernedparent wrote on Jun 5, 2008 9:14 AM:

" RobertK-Like I said earlier I was a young teen mother as well. Yes my son's father was in the picture occasionally-but just like Britt, it was me doing all the real work. I was the one up in the middle of the night changing diapers and doing late night feedings. I was the one taking him to the doctor and making sure he was taken care of every day. It was me that sacrifised my sleep and personal time-not his father. It is much more difficult for the teen mom than it is the teen dad any day. He can sleep in when he wants and come and go as he pleases. He does not have to get up and go in the morning after being up all night with a child or do homework between feedings and diaper changings. It will be much more difficult for Britt to continue on with her schooling and education than it is the father. This article was rightfully commending her for her actions of overcoming the difficult obstacles that she faces on a daily basis. It is not just about "being a parent". Anyone can have a child and be a parent but it takes a strong and determined person to be able to complete her education despite the hurdles she must overcome. "

Top Jobs
More Top Jobs
Top Garage Sales
More Top Garage Sales
Top Rentals
More Top Rentals