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Growing Pains
By JENNIE RODRÍGUEZ / Vida En El Valle
(Published Wednesday, June 11th, 2008 08:56AM)
TRACY -- It's amazing to Ángel Hernández how his one-year-old daughter, Hailey Hernández, went from crawling one day to walking the next day.
"It's funny," he said.
"When Hailey has her arms around me, she smiles. That makes me happy," Hernández said, expressing the classic joys of fatherhood.
While that may seem typical, one thing sets Hernández apart from most responsible fathers: his age.
Teen fathers are less likely to stick around for their child's upbringing and even less likely to stay in a relationship with the child's mother, according to research by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"A lot of girls at my school who got pregnant, themselves, were amazed that me and Ángel are still together," said Hernández's girlfriend Katy Roth, 20.
Hernández, 17, and Roth both hold jobs, rent a room from his parents and are raising their toddler together.
When Roth became pregnant, Hernández's parents' main concern was that he finish high school.
"We didn't want that to be an excuse for not going to school. It's harder to have a teenage father with no education," said Ted Santana, Hernández's stepfather.
"I was trippin' when I found out because I was still in school and I was scared because I didn't know what my parents' reaction would be like," Hernández said.
The challenges began mounting. Upon Hailey's arrival into the world, Hernández was already behind on credits at West High. At 16, he wasn't old enough to drive alone. Child care was an issue.
"I was very nervous to go to a new school and carry my daughter in front of students and teachers," he said.
Hernández transferred to Stein High's STEPS program. The program provided free transportation for he and Hailey to get to school. Hailey had free, steady child care at Stein High, while her daddy attended class and her mother worked full time.
Hernández, who recently graduated from high school, currently works a weekend job. He watches his daughter during the week, while Roth continues working.
"Hailey wakes up at 8:30 (a.m.) or 9. She eats her breakfast (Cheerios usually). She falls asleep at 12 (noon) and she don't wake up until 3:30 (p.m.). I give her lunch. Then I take her outside to play. Then she (Roth) comes home. I let her (Roth) take a nap, because she's usually tired when she gets off work. So, I watch Hailey. Then my parents come home," Hernández explained his schedule. "That's when we (Roth and him) can rest together. That's pretty much how it is every day."
In California, only one out of five teen mothers receive any financial support from their child's father, according to the state Department of Education. And nearly 80 percent of fathers of children born to teen mothers do not marry the mothers.
Hernández wants to defy those odds. He plans to marry Roth in the future and now that he graduated from high school, he plans to attend San Joaquín Delta College's police academy.
"I want to be a cop," he said. "I want to have a house. Not a big one. Like a one-story house."
The road isn't easy for a young couple, the duo said. Both have no time for friends and limited money, but they're determined.
"My (biological) dad left my mom. I haven't seen him in three years. I just want to be there for Hailey when she grows up and do everything possible for her," Hernández said. "My stepdad is the one who really encouraged me."
