"Mom, I'm pregnant." My pronouncement met with dead silence. Finally, my mother's strangled voice came across the line, "Let me go bang my head against the wall for 24 hours and I'll get back to you."

The first thing to remember about telling your parents you're pregnant is that every situation is different. Your parents' personalities play a factor, as do their feelings for your significant other, living situation, relationship with your parents and your age. The above scene occurred shortly after my 19th birthday after I'd been living with a boyfriend she didn't like for almost two years. Obviously, these weren't the words she wanted to hear.

You're the only person who can really determine whether the news you have for the future grandparents will be welcomed or not. The approach for breaking good news differs widely from the approach for breaking bad news. While most grandparents love their grandchildren, they don't always welcome the news that they're on the way. Do you think each of your parents will react differently? Decide whether one parent's positive reaction might help soften a negative reaction from the other if theyre told together or if they should be told separately.

Is the reaction likely to be negative? Take a deep breath, unfortunately many of us have to deal with this. Brace yourself, because no matter how much you expect it, it may hit really hard when you hear the confirmation of displeasure or a lack of support. Generally, the best way to deliver bad news is to just tell it straight out. You might want to take a parent out for a smoothie or just call them up and say it straight out, "I have something important to tell you - I'm pregnant."

Think you're going to get a positive reaction? Great! This is where you can have a lot of fun planning ways to set up the news for maximum effect. You can do anything from informing your parents you have something to tell them with an especially dire expression on your face, to giving a surprise "grandparent gift", or setting up a fancy dinner with the warning that you have something important to tell them, then wait through five courses before telling them why they're there. Positive reactions are real treats, feel free to play it up and even have someone waiting on the sidelines with a camera to capture those first expressions.

Whichever anticipated response you get, it's important to seek out support from your significant other, parents and friends for this step in your life. Ideally, your parents will be overjoyed and be there every step of the way, anxious to help welcome their new grandchild into the world. No matter how you think your parents will react, be prepared to any range of responses. Remember, try not to take the initial reactions to heart, most parents loosen up pretty quickly and let themselves be swept away by "baby fever" in no time.