A beautiful adoption story recently made headlines in the media when Millie Bobby Brown, one of the stars of Stranger Things, and her husband, Jake Bongiovi, welcomed a baby girl into their family.
Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi’s Beautiful Adoption Story
Not only is this a beautiful development for this young family, but it also celebrates the fact that families can form in various ways. It also carries a larger message: Millie Bobby Brown’s adoption demonstrates that women can become mothers at a young age, even if they have ambitious dreams and goals.
Why Her Story Challenges the Trend of Delayed Motherhood
A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the average age of women giving birth to their first child has been going up. “With the exception of 2006, the mean age of mothers at birth has either increased or remained stable every year since 1970,” the report noted. This is likely due to several reasons, revolving around women being more active in the workforce and pursuing higher education degrees.
With this trend, however, a cultural tone of negativity surrounding motherhood has also risen. It seems as if women are anxious about having children because of what it could mean for their careers, leading them to delay motherhood.
Balancing Career Goals and Motherhood at a Young Age
Millie Bobby Brown has grown up in front of the world and is an example of someone who has worked hard in her career while also pursuing joy and fulfillment in her personal life. After the Stranger Things star and her husband announced they had adopted a baby, some noted that the actress is young, only twenty-one years old. It is encouraging to see someone like Millie Bobby Brown, who has achieved success in her career, embrace motherhood – and adoption – even while her career is still in full force. It pushes back against the false narrative that women must attain all their career achievements before they have children.
As more women embrace motherhood at a young age, I hope there will be greater acceptance of women taking a break from work and returning to their jobs after spending a few years raising children at home, if they choose to do so. “Gap years” are popular among young people after they finish high school, and the same concept should be applied to mothers who wish to take time away from their job to be home with small children before they are of school age.
How Society Can Support Young Mothers and Adoptive Families
This is a topic at the forefront of young mothers’ minds, as evident in The Power Pause, a book by Neha Ruch and a website offering online resources that encourage moms to thrive as stay-at-home mothers, whether or not they choose to return to work.
If women were more celebrated in their roles as young mothers while pursuing their dreams and careers, this would be beneficial for families and society. Young mothers would feel empowered to conquer their career goals while also raising families at home. Although many mothers are waiting to have children until later in life, some more experienced mothers give the opposite advice. I’ve heard women with older children say that it is wiser to have children when a woman is young because it’s easier to take time away from work before she is in a senior role.
The decision about when to have children is a personal one. Still, it is encouraging to see someone like Millie Bobby Brown adopt a child at a young age because it may encourage other women to embrace motherhood instead of embracing the fear that comes with such a monumental life change.
Why Celebrating Young Motherhood Matters for Women and Families
Before I had children, I was exceptionally nervous about what it would mean for my career and how it would change me. The truth is that it did change everything, but welcoming new people into a family – whether through birth or adoption – is always going to have a major effect on life. But when it is celebrated in society, it is less daunting for women who are facing this decision.
