Late last week I came across an article about a boy who fathered a child with his girlfriend. The baby was born and the story mainly revolved around the 13 year old father and 15 year old mother. I decided to blog on the story because of one line in the article. The line that stood out to me said that this was a first sexual experience for both of them that ended up in the conceiving of this little baby girl, Maisie.
One of the key reasons I think teens are having sex today without the fear of consequences is because they truly believe they are immune to them. Somehow they don't need to worry about getting pregnant or an STD because that happens to someone else. I remember what it was like to believe I was invincible as a teen. More than anything I desperately wanted a jeep! It was all I could talk about, it never happened, my parents had what we now recognize as common sense. But back to the jeep, I remember one day a man opening up to me about a friend of his that had suffered major brain trauma from an accident in their jeep. Their friend's bright future was gone in an instant. I can remember muttering my sorrow for them, but in the next breath saying, "but that was them it could never happen to me". How egotistical we are in our teens, the absolute belief in our own immortality. Back to the article, this boy Alfie and his girlfriend Chantelle were just messing around, exploring each other and now they have a baby. I don't know what they were thinking, but I do know they were obviously not worried about what could happen as a result of their little bedroom adventure.
Since I first read the article last week, there have been two updates added. First their was the news that they now had the baby at home. The second update was that several boys had come forward demanding a DNA test; they believe that the child could belong to any one of them. According to these boys Chantelle has had a bit of a revolving door on her bedroom. If it is true that she has been having reckless sex with countless partners, then one wonders what she was doing and why? Was she intentionally trying to get pregnant? Was she looking for love in all the wrong places? At only 15 I can't help but feel she was the predator with this 12 year old boy. That's right I said 12. He was 12 when they conceived the child.
To the parents who read my blog, stop thinking like your kids. I realize that this sensationalized story took place half way across the world in England, but what is to prevent it from happening in our very own home? Teens should not be allowed to date until they are 16. Teens of the opposite sex should not be in a home unsupervised. We should be openly talking to our kids every opportunity we get so as to avoid catastrophic consequences. And make no bones about it I do think Alfie and Chantelle's story is catastrophic for the innocent baby they had and are now determined to raise on their own. What chance of success does Maisie have when her daddy is playing video games, that is after he finishes his homework.
This story makes me sad, because I know that Alfie and Chantelle are not the odd ones out. They are just like many other 13 year olds sure that they are ready and mature enough to handle sex. I just wonder what we are going to do about it? I am including the link to the story at the end of the blog today. One of the reasons this story got so much attention is due to the picture of Alfie. He has a baby face and he is small in stature. I say 13 is 13 whether they look 8 or 18, it is time to be outraged about kids having to grow up too fast and if the image of Alfie does not light a fire in your belly then nothing will. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2238252.ece
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