KIDS HAVING KIDS

The recent story of a 13-year-old boy from Eastbourne who fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl, shocked many. So how old do you have to be to make a responsible parent?

The images of schoolboy Alfie Patten, who barely looks old enough to look after himself but is now the father of a baby girl, made for uncomfortable viewing, especially for those who have children themselves.

Clearly this is an extreme case and, hopefully, an isolated one but it does raise the question of how old a person needs to be in order to be a good mum or dad.

For past generations, having kids in their late teens or early twenties was socially acceptable but nowadays teenage pregnancy is roundly frowned upon and the average age of a woman giving birth is around 30.

So when does a person become 'ready' for parenting? When they're 18? When they're 21? Or much older?

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