Teen Couple Who Became Parents at 17 on ‘Growing Up’ With Their Baby

A young couple from Utah has gone viral on social media after sharing their experience of unexpectedly becoming teen parents.

In an Instagram reel, Kayli Jones documented what life has been like since she became a mom at 17.

When she was 16, Jones, who was on birth control at the time, found out she was pregnant. “It was a huge shock. Definitely not what we wanted or what we had planned,” the 20-year-old told Newsweek.

Jones recalled what happened the day she found out. While at work, she had bought a pregnancy test for peace of mind, as she was convinced it wouldn’t produce a positive result.

“When I saw those two pink lines, I cried,” she said. Jones immediately called Skyler, then her boyfriend, who was at a friend’s house. The couple told both sets of parents and got married shortly afterward.

Jones gave birth to their son, Jacob, in August 2021. Initially, she and Skyler lived in his parents’ basement, as they were not old enough to rent their own place. They also completed high school online.

“We had no idea what we were doing. But we went straight from being kids with no responsibilities besides hanging out with friends and doing homework to having to be adults overnight. We were still growing up, and we were doing it with a baby at our side,” Jones said.

Her reel, posted on her account @kayli_renee_jones, has racked up more than 1 million views and 30,000 likes. After sharing her story on social media for more than a year, she said she experiences a mixed reaction to her content.

“Many people are absolutely disgusted with my life and think that just because I got pregnant at 16 I am a terrible mom and that I should have gotten an abortion, while others encourage us and appreciate how hard we had to work to make our situation work,” she said.

Jones’ post received hundreds of comments, with many expressing support for the young parents.

“Lemme be honest, even parents in their 30s have no idea what they’re doing. You’re great,” one user wrote, while another added: “Looks like a great childhood. He is well loved.”

One commenter said, “I’m all for people having a childhood, but people need to be able to mentally mature with their body.”

Now a mom of two—Jacob, who is 3, and 1-year-old Brody—Jones said motherhood has been her favorite chapter of life so far.

“I definitely got pregnant a lot younger than most people, but if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t change it for anything,” she said. “I have four little brothers, two of them only a year or two older than my boys, and I love that they get to grow up together.”