TEEN REGRETS PREGNANCY

Shelly Mitchell carries a portfolio of baby pictures in a backpack/diaper bag/purse. Mention her kids and she will have that sack open and the pictures out in seconds.

It's typical behavior for any proud parent, but Mitchell isn't just another mom. Her baby face makes her look younger than her 18 years -- perhaps 15, her age when her daughter was born.

She also has a 3-month-old boy. That's two kids at age 18, and all the responsibilities that come with them.

Mitchell was with her son Thursday at The PARENT Project's weekly support group. There were about 10 mothers present, talking about problems and learning how smoking affects fetuses.

The support group is one of Mitchell's few social activities, along with the occasional dollar movie. But, she said, that's the price one pays for having kids while young.

Unlike several of her peers, Mitchell's boyfriend stuck around after the baby's birth and married her last year. It helped in some ways, but life was hard as a pregnant 15-year-old and still is, sometimes.

"I thought I wasn't going to get pregnant, that it only happened to other people or that it only happened if you wanted a baby," Mitchell said. "I wanted to get through high school and college."

She went from an above-average student to a bedridden mother-to-be, with no social life except for visits from her boyfriend. After the birth, her daughter was sick a lot, so Mitchell spent much time sitting in hospitals. She felt forced to quit Dexter High School in the 10th grade.

When Mitchell moved to Cape Girardeau to live with in-laws last year, she didn't know any other teen moms. After a few months here, she was pregnant again, but was put in touch with The PARENT Project.

"It helped me see I wasn't the only one in the world having a baby while still being a teen-ager," she said.

Although her husband works at a local factory, Mitchell qualifies for W.I.C., food stamps and Medicaid to help the family squeak by. She teaches her daughter as much as she can before kindergarten.

"I was an A and B student and wanted to go to college, and I hope my little girl does, too," Mitchell said. "I just wish I could have graduated high school."