72 Point Blog National News, PR and Market Research Specialists…

13th   Feb

13 going on 30…

At first, 13-year-old Alfie Patten looks like a proud brother cradling his newborn sister, but The Sun’s shocking headline soon wiped that image from my head.

Alfie, who looks more like an eight-year-old, is actually baby Maisie’s dad, after having unprotected sex with 15-year-old Chantelle Steadman – when he was just 12.

But while I suspect the blame will be firmly put on poor sex education in schools, you’ve got to wonder what part the young couple’s parents played in this unbelievable story.

The Sun revealed that Alfie spent most of his time at the Steadman’s house, where Chantelle lives with her parents Penny and Steve, who already claim benefits to look after her and her five brothers.

The most shocking part though, is that he was regularly allowed to stay overnight with Chantelle, and even had a spare school uniform at the house to save him going home in the mornings.

Even as a 20-something still living at home, persuading my parents to let my boyfriend stay the night was hard work.

Alfie’s dad Dennis also claimed to be ‘gobsmacked’ when told he was going to become a grandad.

What did he expect when they were letting the youngsters have sleepovers together?

But I can’t help but feel a little bit sorry for Alfie. He obviously has no idea what is in store for him, made obvious by his naive claim that he will ‘be good and care for it’.

This is coming from a boy who gets the odd £10 in pocket money from his dad, and is barely old enough to get a part-time job.

So while I think it’s great that Alfie is facing up to his responsibilities, I wish both him and Chantelle luck, as something tells me they are going to need it.

Written by Gemma