A WOMAN has revealed that she is trolled for being a young mum, but she won’t let the haters get her down.
Leeanne, 21, fell pregnant when she was just 18, and is now mother to a little girl named Eloise.
Whilst Leeanne explained that haters slam her for being a ‘kid raising a kid’, she was eager to clap back to the keyboard warriors, as she confessed that she’s old enough to buy herself alcohol and cigarettes, as well as pay rent and bills, and so therefore, is an adult.
Posting on social media, Leeanne shared that haters will often say to her ‘kids raising kids, poor little thing!’, when they find out that she became a mother when she was a teenager.
But keen to silence the trolls, Leeanne penned: ‘I’m literally an adult but okay’.
Whilst the age of consent in the UK is 16, according to the Office for National Statistics, the average age of mothers who give birth in England and Wales is 30.9 years – almost 13 years older than Leeanne was when she first fell pregnant.
In a follow-up clip, Leeanne clapped back to those that criticised her, and in response to a comment that read: ‘18. Is an adult’, she explained: “I have my own home, I pay for my own rent, I pay the bills, I pay for my car, I go to the shop and buy alcohol and cigarettes, I provide for my daughter.
“I’m fully aware I am an adult, but I made the video just to kind of show people how you’re treated when you’re pregnant, especially when you are a younger mum.
“I got it a lot while I was pregnant – that I was a ‘child’ and I ‘couldn’t raise a baby’, that she ‘wasn’t gonna have a fair future’, and that it was ‘unfair on my daughter to be raised by a kid’.”
Leeanne confirmed that her daughter is the “best thing” that’s ever happened to her and explained that being a mother has “changed” her life for the better.
She continued: “I think it’s disgusting in today’s society that people, especially older people, can pick and choose when you’re an adult and when you’re a child.
“For example, I’m a ‘child’ because I’ve had a baby at 18, and, you know, I’ve ‘thrown my life away’ and I’ve ‘grown up too quickly’, but when it best suits them for that argument, I need to ‘become an adult’, I need to ‘grow up’.”
The content creator then confessed that anything she does is “neither right or wrong” and encouraged the haters to “leave” her be.
The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @lee.xnneph, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly amassed 76,000 views.
Source: ONS
Many young mothers took to the comments to reveal that they too have faced similar judgement for having a child whilst being a teenager.
One person said: “I’m 18 and I have a two week old, dunno why people give us weird looks.”
Teen mums are mums too
TikTok user
Another added: “I got told this at 22, that’s the last time I went to a baby group.”
A third commented: “It’s okay, you’re too young when you’re under 22, too old over 30 but perfect between 23-29…
The legal age of consent in the UK is 16.
The law is there to protect young people from abuse, harm or being taken advantage of by adults.
It is not designed to criminalise young people and there is no intention to prosecute people under the age of 16 where both mutually agree (consent) and where they are of a similar age.
But children under the age of 13 are considered too young to be able to consent.
Therefore any sexual activity with someone under 13 is illegal and considered rape, sexual abuse or assault.
For more information, visit Brook.
Children aged 13-15 are therefore unlikely to be prosecuted as long as there isn’t a large age difference between partners and sex is consensual.
“No one is ever happy, trust me. Forget these people.”
Someone else chimed in: “Got pregnant at 18 and I’m 19 now and having my son this month. Teen mums are mums too.”
Meanwhile, another parent explained: “I’m pregnant at 19 and I definitely still feel like a child.
“I don’t even know how to do taxes or get a loan. I definitely wasn’t ready like I thought.”
Tracy Kiss, who fell pregnant at 19, has revealed what she believes are the pros of being a young mother.
The personal trainer and blogger, from Buckinghamshire, believes women who give birth in their teens make BETTER mothers than those in their 30s.
She claims young mums snap back into shape quicker, have more energy and relate more easily to their children, meaning they’re better behaved and happier.
Tracy told Fabulous: “Women who become first-time mums in their teens make better parents than those in their 30s or 40s.
“I believe if I’d been 10 or so years older before becoming a mother then I wouldn’t have the relationship I have with my children now.
“For a start, being older I would have had less energy and therefore less patience.
“I wouldn’t be as enthusiastic to speak to people after months of sleepless nights as I was in my teens.
“My body snapped back to its pre-pregnancy size through fitness post-birth, which in turn gave me the confidence to date and find love again. I’ve never been happier than I am now at the age of 30 with two children.
“If I’d have been alone at 40 with a newborn baby I’d be more tired, less happy with my body, less energetic and far more stressed from the shock of living my life for myself instead of putting others first. Sometimes age and the innocence of ignorance is a good thing.
“As a teen mum I just got on with it, found my feet and became responsible and capable because at the time I didn’t know any different.”
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