Kids with kids: Where are Britain’s youngest parents now

When the story of then 13-year-old Alfie Patten went viral, then Prime Minister David Cameron stated, “I just thought how worrying that in Britain today children are having children.”

Even before reaching the legal age to buy party poppers, Alfie became the youngest ever father in Britain. It was later determined that another young man, slightly older than Alfie was the real father, and this incident ruined Alfie’s life completely. Even today, he’s facing plenty of issues, including alcohol abuse and problems with the law.

However, the story of Alfie and the girl who gave birth to his alleged daughter isn’t the only one of youngsters becoming parents in Britain.

Tressa Middleton, the youngest mother in Britain, who gave birth to her first daughter at the age of just twelve, recently announced she’s expecting her fourth child.

The now 29-year-old mom shared the news of her pregnancy on the social media by posting a photo of the ultrasound. She welcomed her latest child 17 years after she made headlines for being the youngest mother Britain has ever seen.

“So guys, it’s another girl!!” she captioned her post. “Four girls, I can’t believe it. Good luck, Darren.”

Former Britain’s youngest mum Tressa Middleton with her daughter in 2006

Tressa’s story is a heartbreaking one. Her parents were alcohol and drug abusers and her childhood was a tough one, to say the least.

She fell pregnant at the age of 11 and gave birth at 12, shortly after finishing elementary school.

Following the birth of her daughter, the young mom battled depression and started using drugs and alcohol, which resulted in losing the custody of her girl. The baby was put up for adoption.

The father’s identity was kept a secret until 2009, or three years after Tressa gave birth.

At one point, she broke down and confessed that her daughter was her brother’s who s******y assaulted her from the time she was seven years old.

The 34-year-old Jason was found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison in 2009.

Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2011, Tressa confessed that “sometimes he blackmailed or bribed me to do it.

“He’d say he was going to tell Mum. He’d give me things – joints, drink, cigarettes. Or he’d threaten me.”

Since then, Tressa has battled to put her life back on track and overcome her addictions, which cost her around £400 every day.

Up until 2011, Tressa was considered to be the youngest mother in Britain. But then, the news of an 11-year-old girl who gave birth filled the headlines.

The girl’s identity was kept a secret, but what is known, as per The Sun, that she was s******y assaulted and her family was unaware of that.

“It has come as a big shock,” a family friend said in 2021 to The Sun.

“She’s now being surrounded by expert help. The main thing is that she and the baby are OK.”

Prior to the case of Alfie, it was Sean Stewart who was thought to be the youngest father in Britain.

In 1998, Sean’s next door neighbor, Emma Webster, 15, got pregnant with his child. At the time, Sean was 11 years old.

A month after turning twelve, Sean’s son, Ben Louis, was born and Sean was granted a day off from school.

Sean and Emma were neighbors and according to her, he would climb to her rooftop to see her.

“He said he was 12, I’d never have gone out with him if I’d known he was 11,” she told The Sunday Telegraph at the time.

Shortly after giving birth, Emma married someone else and moved to a £200,000 house, while Sean continued attending his local school before leaving Bedfordshire in his early adolescence.

According to The Daily Mail, in the early 2000s, he was incarcerated for seven months for stealing.

Speaking of him, Emma said at the time, “I don’t know where Sean is or what he is doing. I don’t want to talk about it anymore because I don’t think it helps Ben.”

No matter how unbelievable these stories sound, the one that is the most shocking of all is that of Lina Medina from Peru who gave birth at the age of just five. Today, Medina is 89 years old.

When she gave birth in 1939, she became the youngest mother in the history. Allegedly, she suffered from “precocious puberty,” a disorder that causes puberty to start earlier than usual.

At the time, it was believed that Medina’s child was her father’s but he was eventually freed of all charges because of insufficient evidence.

Teenage couples of a comparable age who have consensual s*x in the UK and are under the legal consent age of 16 are unlikely to face legal action.

But all s****l activity with children under the age of 13 is illegal.

I Paid $2,000 for a Group Trip Rental—Here’s How I Got My Revenge When No One Paid Me Back

Excitement for the weekend trip quickly turned to frustration when Sarah’s friends didn’t pay their part of the $2,000 cabin rental. But what they didn’t know was that Sarah had a plan to make sure they didn’t get away with it.

Each year, my friends and I plan a girls’ weekend trip. We take turns organizing, and this year was my turn! I was thrilled to find the perfect place: a cute cabin right by a beautiful, sparkling lake.

Everyone was excited and loved the photos I sent. We couldn’t wait!

The place looked like it came straight out of a magazine. It had a cozy cabin with a fireplace, beautiful views of the lake, and even a hot tub.

The total cost was $2,000 for the three-night stay, which came out to just $250 each for our group of eight.

“I went ahead and booked the cabin, so I paid the full amount,” I told my friends. “To keep it simple, I’d appreciate it if you could all pay me back before the trip. Does that work for everyone?”

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“Sounds perfect, Sarah!” Mary was the first to speak up. “Thanks for handling that.”

“Absolutely, no problem at all,” Ella added.

“Great, that works for me too!” said Brittany.

One by one, everyone around the table agreed.

“Yep, sounds good.”

“No worries, I can do that.”

Everyone promised to pay their share before the trip started. It seemed like everything was set and would go smoothly.

Easy, right?

Wrong.

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As the trip got closer, the “easy peasy” quickly became oh-so-frustrating.

First, it was Mary. “Hey Sarah,” she said cheerfully, “my car needs new brakes, so I might be a little late on my payment. I’ll get it to you next week.”

A week later, Brittany spoke up. “Ugh, student loans are killing me this month. Can I hold off until next payday?”

“I just need to wait until my next paycheck,” Melissa added.

Weeks went by, and every time I reminded them to pay me back, they came up with more excuses.

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Each excuse was different, and none of them overlapped. It started to feel like they were all in on this together.

Then came the silence. Nothing. No texts, no calls, not a word from Ella, Dana, or even dependable Lisa.

By the week before the trip, I was out $2,000 and felt completely taken advantage of.

The same people I called my “friends” had quietly refused to pay me back. The people I trusted the most seemed to have teamed up against me.

Why were they doing this?

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Had I done something wrong? Or were they just testing how I’d handle such a tough situation? I didn’t know for sure, but it was making me really angry.

I knew I had to take action, something bold to show them I wasn’t going to be a pushover.

So, I decided it was time to teach them a lesson they wouldn’t forget. I’m not usually one for confrontation, but this situation was beyond ridiculous.

The night before the trip, I took a deep breath, picked up my phone, and started the first step of my plan.

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I sent a group text, full of fake excitement: “Can’t wait to see you all at the cabin tomorrow! It’s going to be the perfect weekend getaway!”

Little did they know, I had a sneaky plan in mind.

The next morning, I woke up extra early and jumped out of bed. I quickly got dressed and rushed out the door, ready to turn the cabin into our own special retreat.

At the grocery store, I pushed my cart down the aisles, gathering everything I needed.

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A giddy smile spread across my face as I filled the cart with fresh fruit, cheese, and enough snacks to feed an army. I even picked out the best wine and juices. I wanted to make sure my friends would be well-fed and comfortable.

After paying for all the snacks and drinks, I got back in my car and drove to the cabin. It was even more stunning in person, with sunlight sparkling on the lake like a million diamonds.

I stocked the fridge with everything I had bought, preparing for the weekend.

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I even set up a bonfire for that night, complete with cozy blankets and marshmallows.

The place looked perfect. I knew my friends would have the time of their lives here.

But here’s the catch: I took the keys and the garage door opener with me when I left for an “errand.”

Before locking up, I texted my friends, saying I had an urgent task and would be back by the time they arrived. They trusted me, just like I trusted them to pay me back.

But they broke my trust, and now, so did I.

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If they wanted to enjoy the weekend at the cabin, they had to follow my rules. They needed to earn their getaway.

I wasn’t going to let them have a good time after they ignored my texts and calls.

By lunchtime, my phone started blowing up with frantic messages and calls from my friends.

“Hey, Sarah, we’re at the cabin, but the doors are locked!” Ella said.

“Did you forget something?” Mary asked.

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I stayed calm and replied with a simple, “Oh no! So sorry, guys. I must have left the keys at home. But hey, the good news is I’m on my way back now!”

Was I really on my way back? No!

I was sitting at a nearby cafe, sipping my favorite iced latte. I enjoyed reading their messages as they arrived at the cabin one after another.

After I sent that last message, the number of their texts started to drop. They felt relieved that I was on my way back, but the truth was very different.

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As their brief relief faded, they started calling and texting me again. This time, their messages were much more desperate. Some of my friends were angry, while others were trying hard not to lose their cool.

“How can you be so forgetful, Sarah?” Lisa asked.

“I can’t believe you’re making us wait like this!” Dana said. “I thought this was supposed to be a fun trip.”

Finally, I decided it was time to drop the bomb.

I sent a calm message: “Look, I’ll be happy to come back and let you all in, but only once everyone has sent over their share of the rental cost.”

Silence followed.

Then, a flurry of activity.

It seemed that the idea of a fun weekend getaway suddenly mattered more than car troubles, student loans, and all the other excuses they had come up with.

My phone buzzed with Venmo, PayPal, and Zelle notifications as the payments started coming in.

Within an hour, every penny was accounted for.

“You guys could have done this earlier!” I thought to myself as I grabbed the keys and headed back to the cabin.

Their faces lit up when they saw my car. Some walked toward me, while others went to the door.

“Sarah! Finally!” Mary exclaimed, relief clear in her voice.

I stepped out of the car, keys in hand. “Oh, so now I’m ‘finally’ here? How convenient,” I said, my voice full of sarcasm.

The group fell silent, and guilt spread across their faces.

“Look, I’m sorry,” Brittany began. “But you have to understand, I really—”

I cut her off. “No, Brittany. You all made excuses. I trusted you, and you took advantage of that.”

Lisa stepped forward, trying to mediate. “Sarah, we messed up. But can’t we just move on and enjoy the weekend?”

“Enjoy the weekend?” I scoffed. “After you all made me feel like a fool? After I had to practically blackmail you to get my money back?”

“We didn’t mean to hurt you,” Ella said softly. “We just didn’t realize—”

“Didn’t realize what? That $2,000 is a lot of money? That friendships are built on trust and respect?”

A tense silence fell over the group. For a moment, I worried that confronting them was a bad idea. I thought they might say they didn’t want to be there anymore.

I stood my ground despite the fear, letting the weight of my words sink in.

Finally, Mary broke the silence and wrapped me in a big hug.

“Sarah, I’m so sorry about the car thing. You were totally right to be mad.”

Brittany added, “Yeah, me too. I’m sorry. We’re all sorry.”

They all finally understood what they had done.

I took a deep breath and looked at each of them. “I’m glad you see it now. But remember, respect is a two-way street.”

We might not be planning any luxury cabin trips anytime soon, but at least we’ll do it with a new sense of understanding and responsibility.

This whole experience definitely made for a memorable story, even if it wasn’t the relaxing weekend I had planned.

But hey, sometimes the best lessons come wrapped in a little frustration and a lot of determination.

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