DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend "Chucky" and I have been together for a while and things are starting to get serious. I'm 15 and he's almost 18.
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I'm falling in love with him, which has never happened with any other guy. I really think he's "The One." Chucky proposed, but it isn't official yet. I still have no ring, but I'm thinking of accepting. Now he says he wants a baby.
I'm too young to be having a baby, but he says he'll take care of me if it happens. I trust him, but I don't know what to believe. A part of me says he'll stay with me, the other part says he'll get scared and leave. What if something goes wrong and I get pregnant by accident? I'm so confused. Can you please help me? -- CHUCKY'S GIRL IN VICTORVILLE, CALIF.
DEAR CHUCKY'S GIRL: At "almost 18" Chucky is not yet self-supporting, let alone in a position to support a child -- and at 15, neither are you. Chucky may want a baby to prove to himself that he's a man, but a real man wouldn't put a woman he loves in a vulnerable position -- and motherhood at 16 is exactly that.
Did you know that when young men reach the age of 18 they are considered adults? Adult males who have sex with underage girls can find themselves in jail for it. If you don't have sex with Chucky, there will be no "accidents."
It's hard to think clearly when you think you're falling in love, but I'm asking you to make a superhuman effort. I can't stress strongly enough how important it is that you finish high school, so that when you do become a mother you'll be able to support yourself and your child if you need to. Many women do. They also sometimes have to support a husband who can't find work.
Before things go any further, please find an adult woman you can confide in. She'll set you straight!