AT the age of 18, Turquois had three children. Now, she is a young mom of four to Taeed 19, Marcel 17, Treasure 17, Zamir 8. Turquois got pregnant with Taeed at the age of 16 then with the twins when she was 17. What was life like as a mom-of-three as a teenager? Turquois said: “It was really hard. I don't advise anyone to do it. You know, at 18, you're supposed to be figuring out what you want to do with your life. You're not supposed to be raising children.” The mother-of-four posts about their family life online and has a mixed response to sharing her story. The negativity usually centres around the fact she was a teen mom. Turquois said: “People say I'm glorifying teenage pregnancy, but I'm just showing my life.” The children are aware of the judgement but Marcel said: “I'm more focussed on the positivity and the positivity outweighs the negativity.” Treasure explained that they have not experienced judgement in person, there has just been occasions where people think her mom is her sister. Turquois is proud of the way she has raised her children and the woman she has become. She said: “I hope that all my children live successful, happy lives and that one day they make me a grandmother. But we have some time for that - we're speaking in the future."
Social Media Links: https://www.instagram.com/livingforjamir/ and https://www.tiktok.com/@livingforjamir
Social Media Links: https://www.instagram.com/livingforjamir/ and https://www.tiktok.com/@livingforjamir
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00:00I had three kids at the age of 18.
00:03People say I'm glorifying teenage pregnancy,
00:06but I'm just showing my life.
00:08I would say my family is really creative, adventurous.
00:12Oh my God, I feel like I'm about to cry with that.
00:14You need a minute?
00:16Mm-hmm. You're good.
00:17Okay.
00:18How would you feel if any of your children
00:20had kids at a young age?
00:23Treasure!
00:25I need you to calm down with your brothers.
00:26It's time to clean.
00:28My name is Turquoise, and I'm a mother of four.
00:31My oldest is Tyeed. He's 19 years old.
00:34Then I have 17-year-old twins, Marcel and Treasure.
00:37And then I have an 8-year-old. His name is Zamir.
00:40Do you think it's fair that everyone kind of
00:42does a little bit to chip in and help?
00:44Yeah, I think it's a mandatory action.
00:48They'll have their own home one day,
00:49and I want them to keep their homes clean.
00:52What was it like having such a young mom growing up?
00:56Was it fun? Was it hard?
00:58Um, there was hardship and fun.
01:02We're close in age, so I guess you could say
01:04we kind of relate a little bit like that.
01:07And then the hardships is that she's also growing up as well,
01:11being a young adult with children.
01:16So when I found out that I was pregnant at 16,
01:19I was super nervous.
01:20My mother was pretty disappointed.
01:22I actually hid it from her.
01:24I was 17, and I got pregnant again,
01:26and I found out that I was having twins.
01:28And so that's how I end up having three children
01:32by the time I was 18.
01:34How would you describe life as a teen mom
01:37with three children?
01:39Really hard.
01:40I don't advise anyone to do it.
01:42You know, at 18, you're supposed to be
01:45figuring out what you want to do with your life.
01:47You're not supposed to be raising children,
01:50and then not on your own.
01:52What kind of stuff do you help your mom with?
01:54Like, sometimes I take out the trash a lot
01:57when I be helping her.
02:00Do you think your mom is a good mom?
02:03Yeah, she's a great mom.
02:05Zamir and Jameer, they were my second twin pregnancy.
02:09I did enjoy that pregnancy, but it was really rough
02:12because they were premature.
02:14I found that out at five months.
02:15I found out I was having identical boys,
02:17and they shared a placenta.
02:19And Jameer, which is Zamir's twin,
02:21he wasn't getting everything that he needed.
02:24And unfortunately, he passed away 23 days
02:26before his first birthday.
02:30So I need the lettuce and cheese,
02:33and you could just put it on a plate like we do
02:36so we can place it on the table.
02:40We're having tacos.
02:41Tacos is one of our favorite things to eat.
02:45So who do you guys think is the best cook in the family?
02:49Um, I would say the best cook in the family is my mom.
02:53But Type thinks it's him or my mom.
02:56No, I was going to say my mother as well.
02:58And then me.
03:00Like, if you was in the cooking contest,
03:03you would get first, second, third, and fourth,
03:09and I would be fifth.
03:12Ain't lying, ain't lying.
03:14Do you guys think your mom is strict?
03:17No, not at all.
03:19I think that I'm strict when it matters.
03:23I've been living long enough to know, like,
03:25what's important or more important.
03:28Do you guys feel like you can talk to your mom about anything?
03:32I feel like, yeah, because, like, I'm really open with my mom.
03:36You know, I don't keep no secrets, you know.
03:40I come to my mom a lot.
03:42All get along as siblings?
03:44I feel like we get along as siblings.
03:47We get along sometimes, but nobody's perfect, so.
03:51We have our ups and downs.
03:53Hey, guys, welcome back to our channel.
03:56So right now I'm editing our New York vlog.
03:58We were there for Tyee's 19th birthday.
04:01From the 2nd, Tyee's is 19.
04:03Serious, Tyee's 19.
04:05We want to go back down Times Square.
04:06We looking good. We want some pics.
04:08I capture so much happy moments with my kids.
04:12They going around, they going around, they going around.
04:14Oh!
04:15I started sharing my story online in about 2022.
04:19So some of the responses I've got on social media have been good,
04:24but some have been bad.
04:27We receive a lot of negative comments
04:31in regards to me being a teenage parent.
04:35It's as if people want me to go hide in the house.
04:37So some of the negative comments are comments like,
04:40you need a chastity belt and straight jacket on that.
04:44Just another grown woman I will look at as an example of what not to do.
04:49How is having three kids before 18 a flex?
04:52That's sick.
04:53With a sick emoji.
04:55Let's stop flexing this, because that's showing this new generation
04:58that being a single teen parent is OK.
05:02Another person said, what happened to morals?
05:06You shouldn't have a child, especially not three kids, so young,
05:10but this is my life.
05:13Sometimes I respond back to negative comments,
05:15but I've learned that it's best to not respond,
05:17because a lot of the people on social media,
05:19they can go back and forth for days.
05:23Do people at school judge you guys,
05:25or think it's weird that you have such a young mom?
05:27I wouldn't say judge.
05:29Now that I'm older, I wouldn't say judge.
05:31They'll be more shocked, like, no, that's your mom.
05:34Sometimes we'll walk in, me and my mom, we'll walk in the store,
05:36they'll probably think that's my sister or something.
05:39For the people that judge, they will say things like,
05:42discrediting my mom or something,
05:44like saying she really don't take care of us or whatever.
05:47How do you feel about your mom posting videos of you guys online,
05:51doing a blog and Instagram?
05:53No, I do not mind being online.
05:55I actually absolutely love being online,
05:58because, yeah, you get negativity, but I'm not really worried about that.
06:02I'm more focused on the positivity,
06:05and the positivity outweighs the negativity.
06:08I would say my family is really creative, if you want to call it that,
06:12or, like, adventurous,
06:14because, as you can see, we really like going on trips and stuff.
06:20I feel like we're a great family.
06:28How are you?
06:29I'm pretty good.
06:30You know, we're going on a cruise to the Bahamas.
06:32Hopefully you're able to come with us.
06:35Yes, absolutely.
06:36How does it feel, Mom?
06:37Like, looking back, you know, we're talking about how, like,
06:40I had three kids by the time I was 18.
06:42I was so upset, because the one time, okay,
06:45but the other right after, I'm like, what is going on?
06:49If you remember, I felt the kids.
06:52I felt that you was pregnant again.
06:55I wanted to scream out the window,
06:57it's going to be twins, that's what you get.
07:00But, again, I have to take blame,
07:03because you were still a young teenager,
07:05and I should have been watching you way better.
07:08Like, making sure that I was like...
07:09And just more focused on, you know, was he taking birth control,
07:13what was going on, and being more open to talking.
07:16How would you feel if any of your children had kids at a young age,
07:21like you did?
07:24I would not be happy.
07:26I would be really sad, because although I overcame many things,
07:30being a teenage parent, I don't want that for my children.
07:33Me having teenagers myself now,
07:35I see that it's really important, like, being aware,
07:38and, you know, having those hard talks,
07:40because you just look, and your daughter's 18 with three kids,
07:44so I definitely understand.
07:46At the time, it just seemed like...
07:50It was just scary,
07:52just not knowing what you're going to do with being so young with small children.
07:57Like, thinking back to all those years ago, and now here we are,
08:00like, what do you think about, like, your grandkids and you?
08:03Oh, my God, I feel like I'm about to cry with that.
08:10You need a minute?
08:11Mm-hmm. You're good.
08:12Okay.
08:13They're amazing, and when you're in it,
08:16the time seems like it goes so slow,
08:19but in actuality, it really goes so fast.
08:22Yeah.
08:23You did a great job with them.
08:25They're smart, they do so much, and the world is there.
08:28They're just beginning to live.
08:30Yeah, I'm excited, and I really do appreciate that.
08:32Like, when you text me and write me, like,
08:35oh, I'm proud of you as a mother,
08:37I know how rough it was for you,
08:40knowing that I had three kids so young.
08:42But if I don't tell you enough, I'm super proud of you.
08:46You're so amazing.
08:49I love you.
08:50I love you, too.
08:54Being a parent is hard at any age,
08:56but as long as you do your best and you love your children,
08:59things will be good.
09:00I definitely feel like I've grown up with my children.
09:02I'm super proud the way that I raised my children
09:05and the woman that I am today, the mother that I am today.
09:08I hope that all my children live successful, happy lives,
09:13and then one day make me a grandmother,
09:16and we have some time for that.
09:18We're speaking of the future.