While some teen mothers spoke of needing boyfriends in a general way, others spoke of why they needed to be with a particular older boyfriend. For these young women, the men they dated fulfilled a special role-namely, that of a father-figure. Kristina, now age 18, explained why she began dating a 16-year-old when she was 12:
He and I both had a missing parent, and I connected really well because we knew what we wanted that we weren’t getting. I was searching for something. And I found it in him. I was out for a father-figure, and that’s exactly what he was. He was the dad I always wanted. I just wanted somebody to hug me and tell me they loved me and he did it. I was in love with him because he gave me what I needed.