How Does It Feel to be a Dad at the Age of 13?

Last week, the Sun newspaper in Great Britain published a shocking story of boy aged 13 became Dad. Alfie Patten and his girlfriend Chantelle Steadnan aged 15 become parents. It was a shocking story, which soon became the front page of the news in several newspapers, TV channels, radio, websites, and blogs not only in the UK but also in Europe and in the US.

Teenage pregnancy has become common among teenage boys and girls. Several classmates of Alfie and Chantelle told reporters that teenage pregency was common for them. One of the teenages boys told a reporter, it was not a big deal to have children as teens outside school. But it concerned Politians in the UK, Prime Minister Gordon Brown told reporters that he didn’t know the individual details of the case, “but of course I think all of us would want to avoid teenage pregnancies.” Opposition leader David Cameron told journalists: “It is a  really worrying in our country that children are having children”.

According to the Daily Mail, Iain Duncan Smith former Conservative leader has described the case as a “tragic example of the national decline”. “Mr Duncan Smith, who runs the Centre for Social Justice think-tank, said: ‘I don’t know about these particular families but too many dysfunctional families in Britain today have children growing up where anything goes.  ’It exemplifies the point we have been making about broken Britain. It’s not being accusative, it’s about pointing out the complete collapse in some parts of society of any sense of what’s right and wrong.’ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1144244/Teenage-sister-boy-father-13-baby-age.html

This particular story is very unique because there are several other teenage boys who have claimed that had sex with Chantelle and the baby girl Maisie is theirs. Among them is a 14-year-old schoolboy, Tyler Barker who claimed Maisie is his. He told the Sun: “It was routine for boys to stay over with Chantelle in her bed. But I only slept with her the once.” http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2240802.ece?CMP=KNC-powersearchSEM1&HBX_OU=50&HBX_PK=alfie+pattan .

Another teenage boy Richard Goodsell 16, told the Sun that he had sex with Chantelle more than once. As this controversial case is becoming the front pages of major newspapers and TV, it was reveled last night that Alfie  had DNA test live on TV to prove that he is the real father of Maisie.

In an interview the Sun newspaper, Chantelle said: “I love Alfie. I lost my virginity to him.  We decided to start a physical relationship because we love each other. There has been no one else.  He gets very jealous when I talk to other boys and I don’t like him talking to other girls.” http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2240802.ece?CMP=KNC-powersearchSEM1&HBX_OU=50&HBX_PK=alfie+pattan

United Kingdom has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Europe. According to msnbc news government figures show “there are around 39,000 girls under age 18 became pregnant in 2006. It is estimated that over 7,000 of those girls were younger than 16.

“Britain had 27 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19 between 2000 and 2005, according to a report published by Population Action International. Comparable figures are 10 per 1,000 for Spain, 8 in 1,000 for France, and 5 in 1,000 for The Netherlands.” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29184929/.