The Sins of the Mothers

As teenage pregnancies soar, meet the thirtysomething grandmothers

It wasn't the life Tara Bailee had in mind. Pregnant at 20, she had to resign herself to growing up quickly and learning about motherhood.

Then, at 36, she became a grandmother.

Her story may sound surprising, but Miss Bailee's is not an isolated case.

As a result of Britain's high teenage pregnancy rate - the worst in Europe - many women are becoming accustomed to looking after their grandchildren while still in their thirties - and without any sign of a husband.

...She is no longer with Rickeita's father. And Rickeita split with her daughter's father.

Pauline Huntingdon can sympathise. She was 34 when her 15-year-old daughter Leanne became pregnant.

Leanne split up with the father. Having children so young has meant the 38-year-old struggled financially and has never travelled abroad.

The new phenomenon raises questions about the social consequences of generations of children being brought up without fathers.

...Norman Wells, of Family and Youth Concern, said: "In previous generations it was not unusual for girls to marry and start having children in their late teens and early twenties, and for women to become grandparents in their late thirties.

"The key difference now is that most teenage pregnancies occur outside marriage and their children frequently lack the involvement of a committed father."

Ah, the destruction of the family unit. Leftists of the world, celebrate, your dreams are coming true!

But what has the dismantlement of marriage, the traditional family and religion gotten us? Not the progressive utopia that was promised, but children with "depression, anxiety, eating disorders and severe anti-social behaviour" and adults who don't know how to be good parents or set boundaries.

A narcissistic, nanny state, whatever-feels-good-is-right culture has wreaked havoc on the newest generations. And on it goes with no end in sight.

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