Choosing the right time in your life to have a family can be a challenge. Many celebrities and aspiring stars have to commit to long hours before they make their big break and then can find themselves shooting in countries far from home. Not exactly conducive to growing a family.
As a result many Hollywood stars will pursue parenthood in their 30's and 40's when they are more established in their careers. That's not always the case though. Some stars became moms and dads when they were teenagers. Though it may be a less traditional route, these celebrity superstars rose to stardom in spite of having children at a young age.
Lil Wayne
The rapper joined the music business by signing with Cash Money Records when he only 9 years old. He is still the youngest member of the label to date. When he was just 12 years old, he would shoot himself in the chest with his stepfather's gun, causing him to spend 2 weeks on life support.
His dramatic childhood didn't stop there. When he was 16 years old, Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. became a father. The rapper and his then-girlfriend, high school sweetheart Antonia (Toya) Jackson brought Reginae Carter into the world.
The couple married 5 years later but after only 2 years they divorced.
Clearly being a teenage father didn't slow Lil Wayne down. He now has 3 other children with different women. Today, Reginae is 18 years old and a member of the music group OMG produced by Young Money, her father's music label.
Aretha Franklin
Entering the spotlight at only 10 years old, Aretha was pushed by her father to perform in a variety of venues including churches, bars and clubs. When she was just 12 years old, she got pregnant and gave birth to her son Clarence. In spite of the struggles she faced at being a mom at that young age, she had another son, Edward, just after she turned 14 years old.
There were rumors for years that Arthea's first 2 sons were fathered by her own father who was a prominent Minister and civil rights activist. She never indulged these rumors, but the father of her first 2 sons was never released. She went on to have 2 more sons years later.
Sofia Vergara
At 19 years old, Sofia was married to her then-husband Joe Gonzalez. While being a teen mom is not an easy task, it's much better when you have a stable relationship and a good support system.
After only 2 years of wedded bliss, the couple called it quits.
"I was really young when I divorced his father, so I raised him trying to set the best example and give him the best that I could," she explains. "When people compliment me on him, on how well mannered, how charming, funny and well-behaved he is, it makes all the sacrifices worthwhile."
Today, Sofia is very close with her son Manolo and can enjoy the fact that their age difference isn't too grand.
"Every time people compliment me about my son, Manolo, it is very rewarding," says Vergara.
Continue to the next page to see which TV mom gave her baby up for adoption and which country superstar had children in her teens.
Not all teen pregnancies are by accident. Some couples fall in love, get married and have a family early in spite of wanting to have a career that comes with fame and long hours.
A good thing about having kids young, is it means that you have lots of energy to chase them around and continue to make something of yourself!
Taylor Hanson
At only 18 years old, Taylor Hanon, the middle brother of the famous Hanson trio boy band became a father. He married his wife Natalie earlier that year and the couple welcomed Jordan Ezra Hanson in 2002.
It's a good thing he started young, because is growing family will need all the energy he can muster.
Today, Taylor is the father to 5 children and is still with his wife.
Roseanne Barr
Know as one of the most popular sitcom moms of all time, this comedian had no idea the road in front of her when she gave birth to a baby girl at just 17 years old. Knowing that she wasn't ready for motherhood, Roseanne opted to give her baby up for adoption.
At the time, Roseanne had just been released from a mental health facility and she hadn't completed high school yet. Her first brush with parenthood was faced with some tough choices, but she was able to give her girl a life that she knew she couldn't provide.
Roseanne and her daughter, Brandi Brown reunited 17 years later and developed a relationship.
Loretta Lynn
By the time Loretta was 15 years this country music legend was married to Oliver Vanetta Lynn. Roughly a year after the wedding, she would give birth to her first of 6 children.
In 1948 when Betty Sue was born, it wasn't uncommon for women to get married at 15 in the Old South.
While Loretta remained tight-lipped over the years about her opinions of young motherhood, she went on to pen a memoir titled Coal Miner's Daughter. The book included her tumultuous marriage.
When she was just 17 years old she would give birth to their second child, Jack Benny. Jack would lose his life in a drowning event in 1984, and his sister Betty Sue to emphysema in 2013. Loretta's second son, Ernest Ray was born in 1951 when she was 19 years old. Clara Marie and the twins Peggy Jean and Patsy Eileen came later.
LeBron James
Known for his skills on the basketball court, LeBron James brings his A game home to his children.
LeBron was the son of a single mother, Gloria James, who found herself pregnant at 16 years old. LeBron's father, Anthony McClelland, wasn't in the picture. He would later try to reconnect with LeBron, but be met with anger and disinterest by the basketball player. McClelland was more than just a deadbeat dad that never showed up, he's an ex-con and LeBron said he didn't need that in his life.
So, when LeBron found himself as an expectant father at just 19 years old, he decided to break the cycle and step up. LeBron Jr. was born and he learned what it meant to have a father-son relationship in his life. LeBron and his wife, Savannah would have 2 more children together, Bryce and Zhuri.
Are you surprised by any of these stories?
Source: Baby Gaga / Nicki Swift