British Kid Becomes Father At Thirteen
He's 13. He scarcely looks 10. And according to a British tabloid, he's a father. He is baby faced and just over 4 feet tall, the boy, Alfie, was just 12 when he impregnated Chantelle, now 15, The Sun reported Friday. A video posted on the net shows the diminutive Alfie takes the newborn girl in his arms
Alfie Patten, 13, and his girlfriend Chantelle Steadman, 15, decided to keep Maisie who was conceived after one night of unprotected sex.
However, both Alfie and Chantelle and their week-old baby could face DNA tests to determine who the father really is. Alfie, who was just 12 when Maisie Roxanne was conceived, said he wants a definitive answer to put his mind at rest after allegations surfaced that at least two other teenagers could be the baby's father. Both Richard Goodsell, 16, and 14-year-old Tyler Barker who live close to the Stedmans in Eastbourne, East Sussex, have claimed paternity.
It has been suggested that there are another six potential fathers - although Chantelle, 15, is said to be distraught at the allegations.
Trainee chef Richard has said he had sex at least three times with Chantelle around the time she became pregnant. 'I know I could be the father, he said. 'Everyone thinks I am. My friends all tell me that baby has my eyes - even my mum thinks so.'
Alfie, who is just 4ft tall, hasn't yet hit puberty and was 12 when the baby was conceived, said: "When my mum found out, I thought I was going to get in trouble. We wanted to have the baby but were worried about how people would react
Asked what he would do to support the child financially, Alfie asks in a high-pitched voice, "What does financially mean?''
I don't really get pocket money. My dad sometimes gives me 10 pounds (about $15). If he’s serious about those questions, sex education should be the least of Britain’s worry in what is being taught in school. Rather than teaching sex-ed in kindergarten, they should be teaching them about responsibility. Either he is acting dumb or is just plain stupid.
It appears that the girl was sexually active and was already on birth control pills but apparently had missed one. Friends, relatives and visitors had left the family home, situated near Eastbourne, which is about 70 miles southeast of London without speaking to the throng of reporters gathered outside. The teenagers however, could not immediately be contacted.
Denny Patten, Alfie's father, said his son does not really understand the gravity of the situation - but seemed to want to be a good father.
Britain it appears has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Europe, and government figures show that about 39,000 girls under age 18 became pregnant in 2006. More than 7,000 of those girls were younger than 16.
Furthermore, the Police and child services department in Eastbourne, in southeast England, said in a statement that they were "aware of a 14-year-old girl that had become pregnant as the result of a relationship with a 12-year-old boy," adding that they were offering support to both young people.
Britain had an average of 27 births per 1000 women aged 15 and 19 between 2000 and 2005, according to a report published by Population Action International. Comparable figures are 10 plus per 1000 for Spain, around 8 per 1000 for France, and 5 in 1000 for The Netherlands.
Britain's teenage pregnancy rate however, is still far below that of the United States, which registers 44 births per 1000 women aged 15 and 19 and are more line with English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand, which have 17 and 27 births per 1000 women between 15 and 19, according to the report.
Local lawmaker Nigel Waterson called the situation "a sad story that could have a long term impact on both the parents and the child," adding that it raised "huge questions" about the sexualization of children in British society and the effectiveness of the country's sex education.
TV Sex has become immensely popular with so many programs which should be renamed "Sex for Dummies"! A six, today, children can watch on TV what their parents and grandparents never knew existed!
At the end of the day this is the sole responsibility (or lack there of) of the parents of both of them. Let's not point fingers at society, television, movies, etc. as those are all really nice excuses. None of those things are responsible for raising these kids (or at least they shouldn't be). The parents did not raise them properly and were not keeping a close enough eye on what they were doing. Plain and simple. Let's not blame others for for their failures. The best option, spend some time re-educating these kids!!
How does the Nadya Suleiman case fit in relative to this case?
This just insane. The kids of today see so much porn, so much trash, that the act of "making love" is lost to them, they just see it as an act without any emotion or consequences. While I feel bad for the kids themselves and their families, its too little too late now, lets hope they get the support they need to plow through all of this and raise a child who WILL NOT end up in the same position 14 years from now
This is one of the signs of Broken Britain, unfortunately...I found this extremely disturbing! Children are having children now!
Truly tragic.
Wish I knew what was going on at that age. If so, I would be a grandfather by now !! (Pardon the pun)
