Dad at 13?

[R1Geezer]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/arti cle2233878.ece
Jesus, Mary and Joseph! WTF is going on? the lad's kin 13 for christ sake and it's game over! A miserable existance on benefits for him and his older woman for the rest of their natural. What's the legal position?

[coccinelle]

It's incredible the number of teenagers I speak to who believe you can't get pregnant first time. I don't know who tells them that.
I really feel for this baby; when she looks back at these photos and sees her father's glum baby face, she'll realise she wasn't really wanted!

[neddyw]

Dont know where to start with an answer for this - it makes my blood boil!

Totally agree with New Judge and the sooner the government stops paying benefits to this kind of people the better.

I know it sound rather extreme but maybe the kid should be taken off them and put up for adoption, he needs castrating and she should be sterilised before another 'little accident' happens again!

I cant believe that young people are still so stupid to not be using condoms when there are so many STI's, Hepititus and HIV going around.

These people have no respect for themselves their partners or us fools who work to pay taxes to keep them.

I'm going out for a walk now to try and calm down!!!!

[Hotlardlife]

Its a pathetic world we live in.

Benefits have to stop. The girl goes into a hostel if the parents wont or cant pay andfthe 'father' should pay out of his pocket money - no matter how small.

Until we stop this handout lifestyle this will never stop. It would still happen then but to a much smaller degree.

So how much did they get from the Sun then Jake? Does this mean they wont be able to claim benefits ?

[4getmenot]

ha ha did anyone just watch it on news. The interview went like this

Reporter � So are you pleased today?
Boy � Yer
Reporter � So what do you think you have to do to be a good parent?
Boy � Look after it, and feed and change it
Reporter � And what will you do financially?
Boy- What�s Financially?
Reporter � What will you do for money?
Boy - Dunno

[R1Geezer]

WTF are you on about jake, ok it's in a publication you don't like are you saying this sort of thing is fine as long as it's reported in the Guardian or perhaps not reported at all. Are you saying It's a non story? Not worthy of reporting? Are you saying the gutter press somhow put them up to it? Or perhaps you think it's not true. Ok I accept your point generally about the tabloids but I think you've lost the plot here.

[Ethel]

neddyw - who needs castrating - the boy or his father and the girl's father?

Perhaps you'd like to see a return of the Magdalene Laundries and workhouse?
Or back to the good old days when girls in her situation were committed to an asylum for life?

This is a fault of society - kids are exposed to sex far too early, in pop culture, television, internet, lack of parental discipline; and they are given far too much freedom. They are encouraged to dress too old for their years and have very short childhoods.

At 13 his parents should know where he is, who is he with and what he is doing.

[Oneeyedvic]

And what good journalism - what did they expect a 13 year old say when asked how he will contribute financially.

[LoftyLottie2]

You are so right Ethel. The boy was 12 years old when he got his 'girlfriend' pregnant. The blame lies firmly with the parents. Not society, the parents.

[Jillius]

I think young girls should be given the contraceptive injection until they are 18 ! Sounds harsh maybe but at least it would stop all these young girls getting pregnant. In many cases, once they have got the baby, the house and the benefits, they lose all interest in the baby and the baby ends up being abused or killed by their parents.
An awful lot of youngsters see having a baby as a cop out for getting a job.

[LoftyLottie2]

Jillius, the problem is we are only allerted by the media to those that do behave like this. All over the country are young people that are absolutely fine, they just don't make headlines. My own children included, and their friends, and their friends, and so on.

[LoftyLottie2]

Why were his parents supporting their relationship of girlfriend and boyfriend in the first place. Why was a girl of 15 attracted to a little boy? Poor little fellow.

[Nannyjill]

Sure the reality hasn't hit home to him yet, he kept referring to his daughter as it, won't take long foer the novelty to wear off.

I thought that the mother was too young to claim benefits so her mother will have to claim for her,predict as soon as she can claim in her own right she'll be off.

Feel sorry for Maisie and the boy, the baby because she is innocent and the boy because he looks even younger than his 13 years and clearly has no idea what the consequences of having a baby are. Doesn't sound like he knew what the consequences of having sex were either.

[Ethel]

Lottie - I think society must take some blame when it is apparently okay for parents to dress 8 year old girls up like little tarts; it is normal for very young children to have a television and the internet in their bedroom; teeny tinies are watching groups like Pussycat Dolls and playing with Bratz; wearing make up; given too much independence in the home and no responsibilities.

I think part of the problem is that the parents are too involved with the internet and television themselves, rather than interacting with the children and actually parenting.

Thankfully the majority of families are 'good', but this minority underclass is quite heartbreaking.

[Oneeyedvic]

Why was a girl of 15 attracted to a little boy?

Dear God, you may just as well ask why any husband is attracted to any wife - some things (like love and lust) can't be explained.

(and remember the 'little boy' is only 2 years younger than her)

And people think kids need educating?

[dot.hawkes]

Niether the boy or the girl will be entitled to any benefit I guess because of their age, but if either of their households are already on any benefits, they will be able to claim for the child. The child will have child benefit which i think will go to the grandparents, as it will be paid to them because they already claim for the mother. But i assume if the grandparents needed to because they are both employed, they could claim working tax credit for this new grandchild. How does it work?

[Ethel]

Child benefit is payable to the person who is responsible for the child - not necessarily the mother. I would assume the maternal grandmother will get it.

[Nannyjill]

Dot I think you've summed it up correctly with the benefits.

Ethel I agree you onlyhave to go into the clothes shops and look at the clothes for young girls and the choice of other things on offer.

My local beauty palour -showing my age there - advertises make up parties for 8 year old - they do make up nails etc...Way too young in my opinion.

You can even buy "stiletto" shoes for babies on the internet.

Sad the way much of society is going. Children now seem to grow up so fast.

[LoftyLottie2]

Oneeyedvik. Have you seen the picture of this child (the boy). He is a 'little boy' he could pass for 8 years old. Do you honestly think that it is normal for a girl of 15 to lust after a little child, because I certainly don't! I think it is unhealthy and could say a lot more.

I would not have made the comment if the child in question looked his age.

[Oneeyedvic]

Ah, so looks are the important thing? Do we think that teenagers are that shallow that they base a relationship purely on looks? If so, there will be a lot of kids not losing their virginity anytime soon :)

The Sun took a picture similar to this: http://gracemagazine.files.wordpress.com/2008/ 04/emma-watson-hermionegranger.jpg and called her sultry.

Here is another article about her from the same paper's website: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/b izarre/article1065875.ece

Personally I find this more unhealthy.