I watched Juno two weeks ago when I couldn’t sleep. Must have been the coffee I drank that afternoon that made me stay awake till the wee hours of the morning. I was glad I drank that coffee and got to watch this film which everyone in Hollywood is raving about.

So, what’s so great about this film? Aside from the terrific musical score and a great performance from Ellen Page, I can relate with the movie. Like the female lead, I also got pregnant in high school. I also contemplated on abortion but later on decided to go thru with this unplanned pregnancy and put the baby up for adoption. But during my time in the 90’s, there was no legal abortion clinic (actually, there’s still no legal abortion clinic here in the Philippines and I’m really glad about it). It was all hush-hush. Nobody openly talks about abortion. Finding a doctor or someone who does abortion is like buying drugs. It’s an underground thing and against the law.

Ellen Page’s character was a bit too sure of herself and handled her pregnancy rather too well while I was in total wreck. I got to tell my parents about the pregnancy when I was in my eighth month. So you could just imagine how I hid my tummy under all those loose clothes and school uniform and how I avoided my parents during mealtimes. Either I ate ahead of them or I was not hungry and even pretended to have my monthly period by reminding my mother to buy napkins for me when she went to the grocery. It wasn’t easy for me. Imagine, being in your senior year and busy with studies and other activities and not knowing where to get the money and what to do with the baby when it was time already. And just like in the movie, my boyfriend was no help, either. He was busy with his own family problems and personal issues that involving him would be like having two babies at the same time.

He came through eventually when my parents discovered that I was pregnant. By the way, it was our school principal who told my mother that I was pregnant. My mother thought that it was another routine PTA she was attending. Imagine her shock when she learned the news. Anyway, the whole wedding, living together and studying while having a family of my own were raised after my pregnancy came out in the open. We got married a year later when my first-born was only six months old. We played couple for a couple of months before we finally hit splitsville. Sad, but that’s the reality of teen pregnancies and early marriage. There’s a slim chance of success.

I ended up taking care of my kid unlike Juno who pushed through with the adoption and reuniting with the baby’s father. I was in my second year of college when I decided to quit school and work at a hotel just to earn my own money. Not that my parents didn’t support me, they were actually very generous with my baby. A lot has happened since then. My son is now 17 years old and he’s now in college taking up Physical Therapy. I still thank God for giving me such a responsible and understanding son even though I was not that “good” to my parents.

I would recommend this movie to anyone. Parents and children. Young or old. Virgin or not. These days when teen pregnancies is such a common occurrence, perhaps this movie can help to enlighten teens today of the many consequences of unplanned pregnancy. This movie may have a comic undertone, but it delivers its message well which is life is life and everyone should be given a chance even if everything around you is falling apart. At least, that’s what I think….