Yes, I was young when I became a mum - and I wouldn’t change a thing

Chanel had just turned 20 when she became a mum - and now, at 37, she's raising four thriving kids, running two businesses and proving the doubters wrong.

When people meet Chanel today, they’re often stunned to learn she has a 16-year-old son.

“Sometimes people think he’s my brother,” she tells Kidspot. “I’ve had so many funny comments over the years - people just don’t expect someone who looks young to have teenage kids.”

Now 37 and living in Northern NSW, Chanel is a proud mother of four - two boys aged 16 and 13, and two girls who are 10 and 6. On top of that, she's a successful business owner, juggling a photography studio and a second family business alongside a bustling family life filled with school drop-offs, training sessions and sports carnivals.

“I’m in my full Uber Mum phase,” she smiles. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so busy in my life!”

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People are often shocked to learn that Chanel has teenage sons. Image: Supplied.

"I wouldn't change a thing ..."

But while life today is joyful and full, Chanel’s journey into motherhood began at an age where many others were just getting started in adult life.

“I became a mum at 20,” she says. “It was a planned pregnancy - I was in a happy, stable relationship, and had already been with my partner for six years. We were working in retail in Sydney and life felt really steady.”

While she doesn't remember too many negative comments at the time, there was the occasional jarring remark.

“I remember someone at work telling me I looked 16 while I was pregnant,” she says. “But honestly, I feel like it’s worse now. The world is definitely more judgmental these days.”

Chanel is a proud young mum to four beautiful kids. Image: Supplied.

Australian mums are getting older

That judgment isn’t imagined. Despite major shifts in family dynamics over the past few decades, stereotypes around young mothers still persist. While the average age of first-time mums in Australia has climbed steadily - from 28.3 years in 2010 to 31.9 in 2023 - young mums still face social stigma, economic hurdles and reduced access to support.

But Chanel says she was lucky to have a strong support system - especially in her own mum, who had also been a young mother herself.

“My mum was really supportive. She definitely worried - she knew how life-changing it would be - but she understood what I was going through in a way that others maybe couldn’t.”

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Chanel's own mum was a young mum too. Image: Supplied.

"Parenthood came easy to me ..."

Chanel’s early years of parenting were marked not by chaos or fear, but calm confidence.

“I actually feel like I fell into parenthood really well,” she says. “I wasn’t anxious or stressed. I just took each day as it came and went with the flow.”

That ease and presence have become something of a parenting philosophy for Chanel - one she’s tried to pass on to her children along with her most important value: kindness.

“I’m most proud of how kind and respectful they are,” she says. “That’s something I’ve taught them from day one. Every day when they’ve left for school, the last thing I say is, ‘Be kind. I love you.’ I want that to be the thing they carry with them.”

A supportive partner helps

The life Chanel and her husband have built over the years is full of warmth, love, and success - not just in parenting, but in business and partnership too.

“We bought our first home 10 years ago, which we’re so proud of,” she says. “We own two successful businesses now, and while there’s been a lot of risk involved, I always say: if you never try, you’ll never know.”

Much of that strength, Chanel adds, comes from having a supportive husband who backs her vision — just as she does his.

“He’s always supported whatever dream I’ve had, no matter how hard it looked,” she says. “And I like to think I’ve done the same for him. We really do work as a team, and I’m so grateful for that.”

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Chanel and her husband, Ryan are proud of the life they have built together. Image: Supplied.

"This is your life. You’re the one who has to love it!"

Looking back, Chanel says if she could sit down with her 20-year-old self - that excited young woman with her whole future ahead - she’d tell her to buckle up for something incredible.

“I’d say, you’re about to embark on a huge, exciting journey,” she says. “It won’t always be easy, but it’ll be so worth it.”

To young mums today, especially those facing doubt or judgment, she offers heartfelt advice.

“You’re always going to have people who judge you - whether you’re a young mum or a woman running a successful business,” she says. “But this is your life. You’re the one who has to love it. Don’t let someone else’s opinion make you question what’s right for you.”

Because if Chanel’s story proves anything, it’s this: motherhood isn’t defined by age - it’s defined by heart, resilience and the life you build along the way.

Originally published as Yes, I was young when I became a mum - and I wouldn’t change a thing