Creating a list of the greatest sports stars of all time is, of course, controversial and subjective. However, there are some names that consistently appear in the top 100 rankings. While their names may be familiar, what is largely unknown is that many of these GOATs hail from teen parent families or were teen parents themselves.

There is great power in words. Words can captivate, inspire, and transform us. We hope these quotes from teen parents and children of teen parents move you in some beautiful or powerful way.

By far the most common teen parent subject of artworks is Mary, the mother of Jesus.

While the Bible does not explicitly state the age of Mary, Biblical scholars generally agree that given the customs of the time, it is highly likely that Mary would have been a teenager.

In the 1960s, a young Zambian woman was part of a space programme and training to be the first person to walk on the moon and possibly even Mars. While ultimately, she didn’t make it into orbit, the story is remarkable.

Renowned artist, Artemisia Gentileschi, is credited as one of the most progressive and expressive painters of her generation. Several of her works have sold for millions of dollars. She overcame trauma, teen pregnancy and societal gender constraints and showed what a woman (and teen mother) can do!

Senamile Masango had always dreamed of becoming a scientist. Despite falling pregnant in her first year of university (age 16), she made history as the first black female scientist to experiment at one of the world’s largest centres for scientific research (CERN, Switzerland).

Teenage pregnancy and parenting is often viewed in a wholly negative light. But what does the research really say?

Teen parents and children of teen parents have defied expectations and excelled on the world stage. Some are even considered the ‘Greatest of All Time’ in their respective fields!

Approximately 12 million babies are born to adolescent girls and young women (aged 15-19 years) globally each year. Ninety percent of these births are in developing countries.

Young parents and their children deserve safe spaces and supportive networks. They don’t need judgement.

Since humans have graced this planet, we’ve been “getting it on”. Yes, you know what I mean. It has been happening throughout all of human history and all around the globe. And so does teen pregnancy and teen parenting. Whether planned or unplanned. Welcome or not. It happens.