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Chloe Toombs

Edens first Thanksgiving at Toomb house with her family and friends. "This one was taken on her first Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite pictures of her because of the look on her face," Toombs said.

Chloe smiles brightly at her four month old daughter Eden and whispers to her that she loves her. Eden’s face brightens up at the sound of her mom’s voice. She bounces around a bit and giggles, showing off her toothless, gummy smile to the world.

Chloe Toombs was 16 when she had her daughter Eden Grace on July 6, 2015. She is now a senior and attends the alternative learning center. 

“I was shocked, I did not think it would be me, but it can happen to anybody,” she said.

Minnesota ranks number six in the United States of America at 16.4 births per 1,000 girls under 18.

How it affected her:

Teen pregnancy and child bearing bring huge social and economic costs through immediate and long term impacts on teen parents, their children and those around them.

“I lost most of my friends in a matter of a day. The whole school knew and that freaked me out,” Toombs explained.

After discovering she was pregnant and with the reactions of her peers she made the decision to switch to the Alternative Learning Center.

“My morning routines have not changed much, they have just been altered around her. It is wake up at 4:00 in the morning, eat, sleep until 7:00 in the morning wake up and repeat. On the days I have school I start the routine, and my grandma finishes it for me while I get ready and go to school,” she said. She talked about her night routine which usually consists of homework and play time with Eden.

“I am blessed to have such an amazing support system. My grandma, I really love her. She helps me when I need a break,” she said. Chloe currently lives with her grandmother and her younger brother who attends Oakland Junior High School.

“I am much more happy. After two years of struggling with depression, I look at the world differently now. I am constantly happy,” she said smiling brightly down at the bouncing baby in her arms. She does not regret Eden in fact she said that Eden has been a huge blessing to her and her family,”If I could go back in time, I would not change a single thing, I am the happiest I have been in a very long time,” she said once again looking at Eden with a massive smile.

“School is going really good. I am getting all the credits I need and I am working my butt off to graduate,” Toombs said. ” I feel like people think we can not achieve certain goals. We can not finish high school or go to college. I am going to prove you guys wrong, ” she added victoriously.

Only 1/3 of teenage moms complete high school and receive their diploma. By age 30 only 1.5 percent of teenage mothers get their college degree, Chloe wants to beat all of these statistics and she is determined to do so no matter how much work it may take.

“It is basically constant play time. When I am with her she does not cry much only when she is hungry, ” she added holding up Eden’s bottle to see if she was hungry. At that moment, she was not.

“I have always wanted to be a nurse, I love helping people. Even after finding out about being pregnant with Eden it did not change my mind at all,” Toombs said. She wants to create a good life for her and her daughter even if Eden’s father is in the picture or not. She feels that a man is not needed when raising a child especially if he does not want to be part of the child’s life.

“He is Eden’s father and I would never keep her from him. I am not ever going to do that. He is choosing this, not me,” Toombs said with a sad smile on her face. ” I am sad. She is currently four months old and he has only seen her once. She is growing up so fast and he is missing out,” she added commenting on Eden’s father who currently is not involved with Chloe or Eden.

79 percent of teenage girls who become pregnant are unmarried; Eight out of ten fathers in cases of teen pregnancy don’t marry the mother of their child, and these absent fathers pay less than $800 annually for child support. Children who live apart from their fathers are also five times more likely to be poverty-stricken than children with both parents at home.

Her advice to others:

“Do not be afraid to take the hard road. Yes it is difficult but I do not regret my choice to keep Eden at all,” she said giving her advice to future teen moms.

“They think that we are too young to have kids, that we are not ready, but you are never really ready. No one is, but they choose to believe we are bad parents and that we are glorifying it. Clearly we are not. ‘Teen Mom’s’ is about real life and real situations. It is upsetting, but everyone should know about it,” Toombs said.