Diablo Cody: Well I'm just fascinated with her.
I love the Juno soundtrack, too.
But that isn’t why I love the movie Juno.
Juno was more personal to me. The reason is that my sister is a poster child for teenage pregnancy. And when I say “for teenage pregnancy,” I mean “for” teenage pregnancy.
The other reason I love the movie Juno is that my sister is opinionated and mouthy like Juno (albeit a bit more silly), but that’s another post. Here's a trailer for Juno.
When responsible adults hear the story of my sister, they all say, “Well don’t tell me daughter that one!”
And the funny thing is, I don’t think my mother or I would be so vocal about how proud we are of her if it weren’t for all the crappy, awful, nasty, ignorant, judgmental and just plain ridiculous commentary everyone feels obliged to offer about teenage pregnancy.
And there is something really entertaining about proving rude people wrong.
My sister first encountered her now husband when she was 14. He was two years older and dating a babysitter of ours. He was a surfer on a skateboard and lived next door. She fell in love with his longish blond locks and shirtless tanned boychest. She announced she would marry him. Then we moved away.
She kept tabs on him, though, and invited him to her 15th birthday party. Love bloomed and somehow (okay, we all know how) in the midst of it all, my then 15-year-old sister became pregnant. I was barely 10 and she was going to be a mother.
Everyone wanted someone to blame, so of course the burden of blame fell upon our mom. Certainly, if she was doing things the right way, this wouldn’t have happened. No one considered that the two loved each other or that it might end up okay. Everyone was sure they were doomed.
They talked abortion. They talked adoption. Then they talked marriage.
All through the movie, I wondered what Juno would do and I have to say, I was a little disappointed. No spoilers here for those who haven’t seen it, but I was a bit sad.
My sister, a stubborn gal, refused a wedding proposal. “I’m not letting anyone marry me just because I’m pregnant,” she swore. Whether it was ultimately the pressure of the families or her mushy feelings for her man, she relented – eight months pregnant and looking quite eggalicious! I, the 10-year-old maiden of honor, could not stop laughing during the ceremony and neither could my sister. We laughed as tears streamed down our faces in front of over 200 guests in a reception hall. We were probably the least composed bride and bridesmaid duet in history.
This Valentine’s Day marks my sister’s 26th wedding anniversary. Two children, a house, a business and many adventures together, the love she shares with her husband is still going strong. In fact – dearly departed grandparents aside – they now have the longest running marriage in our family.
That isn’t to say they didn’t struggle. As two teenagers with a little baby, I’m sure there were many times they both wanted to give up or just walk away, but they persevered. They’ve got a beautiful family to show for it and are a tale of teenage pregnancy that most don’t want their daughters to hear.
But I still think it's a lovely tale.
Toodles.
