I'm 15 and I'm pregnant.. what do I do now??

I followed along on this one, in part because I couldn't figure out what to say at first (I tended towards Portal's pov, but with emphasis on adoption though I understand dismay about that and am pro-choice, can go towards keeping in some circumstances) and then with growing bemusement.

On people being articulate, my genuinely just turned sixteen year old niece is far more articulate than our present poster, and she and her friends of both sexes have some very complicated sometimes catastrophic lives, with room for drama queens (and the male equivalent) in between the genuinely heartstopping stuff. So I didn't know here, was tap tap tapping.

My antennae were tweaked with added info, as in plot points, but real life does that too. But, do people in real life tell us all that as it is happening? Maybe ---- take me with my damnlefteye, which everybody here has already heard too much about, yet the drama marches on, ba boom. But you all already knew me.

As others have said, I'd rather us (with all our sometimes varying points of view) help people than shut off. Part of the problem with these sorts of posts is that they weary real live people for helping in what are probably existing situations.

Maybe we need to work up some help line info so that we don't have to reinvent wheels over years to come...

Myself, I've always been trusting. I prefer to think of the best of people, instead of the worst.

That being said, you can't be too careful. I'm not going to say when I started having doubts about her identity, because that sounds like "Oh, I knew it all along." In fact, at that point, I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and go with it.

Well. . .guess I'll be more careful in the future.

I never noticed her post as Crystal_Ann, but she says her cousin posts as Tierayn.

I am at loss for words at this point and in fact feel rather foolish.

I have wondered about Tierayn, prior to this, what a fetching outfit for someone in such stress, but I am also not sure. Too annoying if true. I am not as nice as Joe Nation, understanding the underlying need for love.

I'll work on it.

I'm with Joe and Letty. I stand as being torn on this subject. I simply don't know what the truth is, but if I can help just one person, as Letty stated, it's all worth it.

I wouldn't. You're a very caring person, and it's natural to want to help people.

Believe me, Tana, I don't think any less of you because you were caring and trying to help her out.

Actually, I can't find myself being angry at her if it is indeed a prank. I'm not going to say 'Kids having fun'. . .

Sure, I'm a little upset about offering my opinion. . . but then, I know, I'll do the same the next time someone comes around. As, I'm sure, a lot of A2K'ers will as well.

Ah the trouble with all this, if true, is that a couple of playful, inventive, bright, young women do a number, primarily for fun - I assume. The people who respond (us) are from another world, usually at least a little bit - and sometimes more - older, to be played with.

That is really too bad, as we'd enjoy talking and they could learn from us and we could learn from them. But on these two, my time is up.

Turner
Thanks for that and you're right. It won't stop my heart from reaching out to people because that's simply who I am. If I stop trying to help, then I'll lose myself and that just ain't gonna happen ;-)

I can deal will feeling like a fool now and then, but I've gotta be me :-D

Before she realized that her multiple accounts game was up she was using a different story. The different story was that she had no idea what I was talking about with the other account. Now the story is another cousin posting a similarly surreal soap opera. There are a lot of reasons I have no doubt that the cousin story is just an extension of the tangled web she's weaving but I don't want to go into it.

I'd not have bothered here at all if I weren't sure. This kind of thing hurts the real people who need help and I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt (and generally avoid "life advice" topics alltogether).

I just want to tell Joe, Letty and Montana thanks..You all help me keep what little faith i have in humanity...you all are what i consider blessings in life..real people with genuine caring...even when kicked down..that is a rare gift...I hope one day that angeleyes or whomever she is ...gets some real help...and maybe she has helped while trying to be foolish....good things can come from bad experiences...:-)

I noticed this too, Caprice. It was almost like she was waiting to see what was said, and then go that route.

I noticed too that her 'real' mom popped in and out of the picture real quick.

Aargh. I - if I get involved in these sorts of posts - prefer to say what I would say to someone who is really in the situation described, and leave it if I think it is feeling a bit gamey.

Saying something reasonable will do no harm - and you never know. After a certain point - who has the time? I can get paid for listening to someone blathering on endlessly!

Pranks are a pain in the bum - but I would rather give the benefit of the doubt for a reasonable time. If I make a fool of myself - it is all pixels!

Tierayn was most likely the only other account, another way this type of game hurts is that other members who were not involved are being doubted now.

One of the things that I have noticed, is that really tough sob stories primarily come from first time posters, who post only on the thread that relates to them. There are a couple of ways to look at this. Sometimes, when a person is in trouble, he/she might find the anonymity of talking to strangers, that he does not have to face, and have no axe to grind with him, helpful and cathartic. On the other hand, would you spill your guts out to people that you didn't even know?

So I believe that it is a mixed bag. I can think of at least one case where a newbie WAS sincere, and we really helped. But we never can be 100% sure. I take a middle ground. I like to give the person the benefit of the doubt, but as soon as I start to see inconsistencies, I back off.

One thing that I DO know. I would NEVER, repeat NEVER take the interaction beyond the boards. You keep hearing stories about young girls being taken in by pedophiles on the internet. Although pedophiles are not interested in US, there are all sorts of crazies and nutjobs out there. So please guys, be careful!

Actually, Phoenix, I would probably do just that - poor my heart out to a bunch of people I don't know. Why? For one thing, you don't know me. There wouldn't be any future interaction. It would be fix this problem, thank you very much, then hasta la vista. I wouldn't have to worry about reputation, or looking you in the eye again. Even if you were my next door neighbor (not that I would know if you were or weren't). . .

OTOH, there wouldn't be a history with the person, and they couldn't use that to help with the problem.

It's a two edged sword, to be sure.

It's not the end of the world. If these people and their problems are real or not, we did what we are here to do. Communicate, respond, advise, commiserate, provide information, chat, share stories, be ourselves. I am not going to worry about people being who they say they are. I stopped posting when I got suspicious because I was unsure of what was going on. It won't stop me from posting to another similar thread in the future and offering my two cents if I feel so inclined. I don't feel duped at all now and none of you should. Whether posters are telling the complete truth or not, it's not a huge deal because we are all secure in who and what we are.

... and (thanks, Heeven), this page (like just about every other on A2K) is searchable through Google. So if there was a prankster, hey, that doesn't matter, because in the greater context, there are people who need help who may be reading and not writing anything. Therefore, perhaps we've helped some of the silent ones out there. Of course we're never going to know that to absolute certainty but hey, so what?! I don't think kindness is ever wasted or lost. The problem is with whoever decides to step on people's good will, not with the people who offer that good will.

I agree with turner, its sometimes easier to tell your problems to people you don't know. THat way you get true honest opinions on what you should do. Thats why i came here, i knew that i could be completly honest here and not have to worry about hurting anyones feelings. And i knew that i didn't have any obligation to you guys. So, my main reason to post today was to say that some people are true with needing help, and are not trying to pull what angeleyes did.
And i agree with what some one said, maybe she was a fraud, but maybe you guys helped out someone who was just reading and was having the same troubles but just hasn't written anything.

The next time I get one, I'll post the e-mail from this guy in Nigeria that keeps bugging me about a money transfer. Maybe you can help him out.