Are young mothers good role models?
Whenever I see headlines saying the 'UK has highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe', I can't help but ask myself....why?
Meet the Killeen family - the live in Birmingham, they're a genuinely nice family, warm, welcoming and loving but what makes them stand out is that the Killeens have three generations of teen mums.
Jodi, now 19, had Kyle at 18 and son Lucas at 19. Toni, now 18 had Sinead when she was 15-years old and Darren, now 16 had daughter Serena just over three months ago. Their mother, Lisa also had children from a young age with her first at 18 and her fifth by 26.
Recent goverment research shows, on average, that chlidren born to young mums are two thirds more likely to end up living in poverty. But what struck me about the Killeens is that they don't see anything wrong with parents so young which is very different from the goverment.
While some may judge Lisa and her family, the Killeens are proud and say they wouldn't change anything because their children have made their lives better.Â
I also Kim Longman, who at 15, is studying for her GCSE's while raising her 18-month old son Tyler. She told me that having him has encouraged her to get back into education.
Even though Kim's determined to defy the official statistics that say 40% of young mums will leave school with no qualifications, she had one message for children her age...."Think before you act because you have to face the consequences afterwards."
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