South Africa's total fertility rate is estimated to be one of the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, adolescent childbearing levels remain high: More than 30 percent of 19-year-old girls are reported to have given birth at least once. Evidence from focus-group discussions conducted in urban and rural areas in South Africa with young Black women and men, and with the parents of teenage mothers, is used to consider the experience of early parenthood, including the role of paternity, education, work opportunities and subsequent fertility.