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Several other boys have stepped forward and claim to have bedded Chantelle, 15, and therefore they could be the proud poppa. So why lie? Is this a mother trying to protect her daughter's reputation?
Nah. If baby-faced, doe-eyed Alfie is the father, the story is golden. It's all about the cash.
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There's a "big scam" going on, said Stedman family friend Clive Sim. "Penny [Chantelle's mom] told Chantelle to keep quiet about other boys because they wouldn't get any money." (Methinks Mr. Sim is off the Christmas card list.)
Alfie is planning to take a DNA test to prove that he is indeed the father of week-old Maisie Roxanne. Chantelle insists that Alfie is the father and denies having sexual relations with other neighborhood boys. (Aside: British bookies are said to be taking bets on Maisie's real dad.)
There are so many things wrong with this. Where to start?
There is, of course, the very real possibility that prepubescent-looking Alfie has been horribly punk'd, and that he is in fact not the dad. Then there's the parenting angle. We know that teenagers are sexually active, so why is it that a tween boy was allowed to have sleepovers in his girlfriend's bedroom?
And then there's Chantelle's mom. If Mr. Sim's allegations are true, Penny Stedman is out of the running for mom of the year. Or is she? At the risk of incurring the wrath of our commenters, let's try to look at things from Penny's point of view.
Let's assume that the Stedman family, who live in council (public) housing, is not well off financially. Children are expensive. Children who have children are even more expensive, since at that age they can't possibly be equipped to care for their offspring. There are media outlets willing to pay for good stories. If Alfie is the dad, which is possible, why not stick to that story and cash in?
After all, The Independent on Sunday has reported that Alfie's family was to receive about £25,000 for the initial photographs and video interview from The Sun. Then there's the global bidding war and promises of hundreds of thousands of dollars swirling around both the families.
Clearly this is morally reprehensible. But maybe Penny Stedman desperate and doesn't know what else to do. Granted, she could wear a Halloween mask like Alfie's dad. But that's not likely to bring in any cash to pay the diaper bills.
What would you do if Chantelle was your daughter? If Alfie was your son?











ReaderComments (Page 1 of 5)
2-18-2009 @ 2:20PM
cgriffin79 said...IF I WAS THIS BOYS MOM I WOULD DEFINITLY WANT A DNA TEST. IF I WAS THE GIRLS MOM, ID STILL WANT ALL THE BOYS THATS SAYING THERE THE BABYS DAD, TO BE TESTED.THE I WOULD GO AND HAVE MY DAUGHTER TESTED FOR STD'S( IF SHE HASNT BEEN TESTED YET) SAME FOR THE BOY. THEN EVEN THOUGH ITS KINDA TOOLATE, ID HAVE A GOOD TALK TO THEM, ABOUT PROTECTION AND POSSIABLY PUT THE DAUGHTER ON BIRTH CONTROLL AND GIVE THE BOY A GOOD LESSON ABOUT CONDOMS.ITS SAD TO SEE KIDS HAVING SEX THIS YOUNG, IT BLOWS MY MIND,. I HAVE AN 11 YR OLD BO, AND I KNOW THAT SOON, THEY WILL BE GETTING SEX ED IN SCHOOL, I THOUGHT HE WAS TOO YOUNG TO HAVE SEX ED, TILL I READ ABOUT THIS LITTLE BOY AND GIRL HAVING A BABY.
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2-18-2009 @ 3:36PM
QmDDT said...Maybe Cgriffin, the sex ed should come from your son's parents and not be left up to the school? If more parents sat down and talked honestly with thier children, and let them know it is nothing dirty or embarassing, kids would respect sex more, and not just "do it" for the sake of doing it.
2-19-2009 @ 11:17AM
tv said...Please don't rely on the school's sex-ed classes to inform your child about sex. I hope you would take the time to research what you should be talking to them about, how to do it and even get some tips on when to do it. Is important that we as parents make sure we inform them and make them comfortable to come to us. I know if my child has a concern or question, I want to have established that communication and know that they will be comfortable coming to me about it.
2-18-2009 @ 3:52PM
Ashley said...Well we started having sex ed when I was like 9 (so in the 4th grade) which is a good thing because I hit puberty that same year and it helped me to figure out what was going on with my body. But something I noticed was that the kids who didnt get sex ed that early started having sex eariler (like at the age of 12) usually without properly using protection. While I'm still a virgin at 16.
In a perfect world parents wouldnt even have to worry about money or exploit a teenage pregnancy or multiple dna tests to get food on the table, but its not a perfect world. I understand where Chantelles mom was coming from if she did this, but she could have kept her children and grandchild out of the tabloids and found another way to do this. As for Alfie, I feel bad for him because he honestly thinks he's the father, its going to be hard on him if he finds out he's not the dad. Chantelle needs to have a talk with a therapist or something, and I hope the baby is ok.
2-18-2009 @ 4:01PM
Ashley again said...I feel like I need to clarify before someone jumps on my back about sex ed. When I said people would have sex earlier without sex ed, I said it from experience. My little brother had a pregnancy scare and he was 12, my ex best friend/ex boyfriend started having sex at 13, another friend slept with his girlfriend at 12, and another friend lost his virginity 13. The rest of my guy friends lost it at 14. So what I said was from my own personal experience not any statistical proof from some book or anything.
2-18-2009 @ 4:56PM
ccboy said...It's never too young to start learning about sex. Too many parents wait until they think it's time to have THE TALK, if they do it at all. Do not wait until then, being talking with them as they grow. Answer any questions, age appropriately, and just allow things to fall in naturally such as watching tv.
2-18-2009 @ 6:13PM
Deidra Roache said...Come on now....what kind of parents are we dealing with in the first place. The girl's parents are on welfare in England and I believe there are 6 kids in that house.....dad can't keep it in his pants/doesn't know what a condom is and mom needs to be on B.C. pills herself. They allowed a 13 year old boy have sleepovers with their daughter. And what about the boy's parents....letting him sleep over at her house. Both set of parents need to be looked at by welfare of children officials for neglect. Might be a good idea to get the wee one out of either of those 2 homes.
2-19-2009 @ 12:36PM
cgriffin79 said...yes that makes sense to talk to him my self, and i think i will take your alls advice and do some research on how to talk to him , i cant help it, i dont feel ready to explain to him about sex yet, he is still such a young boy, (he will be 12 in oct) i do feel uncomfortable. i also have to face my 7 yr old boy and 3 yr old girl when the time is right also. but thanks for your alls input!!!!i just know i have to do this, to hopefully avoid anything like this happning to my kids .
2-18-2009 @ 2:19PM
John said...What a mess, us humans sure know how to get into some weird situations.
As with many stories getting to the truth via the media is difficult. I've been on the inside of a story when the media was reporting and the "facts" were all messed up.
The bottom line is that there is some core truth to this story but with so much potential money on the line due to the hot issue of this story it only makes getting the truth more difficult.
http://qualitybabycarseats.com/britax-car-seats/britax-diplomat
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2-18-2009 @ 6:02PM
Fran said...I don't understand people today. The parents are responsible to talk to their children. We do it in the schools because a lot of parents don't talk to their children. A lot of parents today just have no idea or don't care what's going on with their kids. They have the attitude, "Not my child." You can't take that attitude. Kids are kids and no matter how good they are, they will still experiment. So, all you parents out there, take the time to be with your child, get to know them, and listen to what they have to say. But at the same time, know what they are doing or where they are going. Make sure a parent is home if they are going to a party. My teenagers have gone to parties and left because although a mom and dad were there, they are still serving. These chaperones know it and say nothing. WAKE UP and parent you child and don't leave it to the teachers and then blame the schools because you are an asshole and can't teach you child between right and wrong.
I understand that sometimes things happen. But, come on, many partners at 15? TRAMP!!!!!!!!!!!! How do you like Penney?
2-18-2009 @ 2:26PM
Mike said...If he is the father, he'll be graduating the same time his daughter starts school.
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2-18-2009 @ 2:40PM
Crystal said...Wow...
2-18-2009 @ 2:35PM
Cindy said...If I was Chantelle's mother, I would tell her to call Maury Povich and ask for DNA tests for ALL the prospective fathers.
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2-18-2009 @ 3:59PM
JOLENE said...It would be a good idea to go on Maury's P. show and have her to take a DNA test to see who the baby's father is.
2-18-2009 @ 6:38PM
Sheila said...Cindy, This sad story should never had gone to the tabloids to begin with! As a proud parent of 2 grown kids, 24 year old young woman, and a 26 year old young man, I didn't have to worry about such things during their highschool years...They were "always" more pre-occupied with school activities, and chaparoned parties and school trips...My beautiful intelligent daughter was active in cheerleading, track team, and the debate team..Oh sure she had boyfriends and went to dances, but she also had a good, moral head on her shoulders, because we took the time to talk to our kids about sex before highschool even started! My son could have done all sorts of bad things, but he was more of an intellectual who enjoyed being on the English Lit. committee, and he was also into art...If kids are taught to respect themselves and others, they have a better chance of leading decent lives...I pray that little boy isn't really the father, and that girl desparately "needs" to keep her legs closed!!! God Bless That Poor innocent baby, they need to give her up for adoption to a family that deserves her and can take proper care of her without milking others out of money!!!
2-19-2009 @ 5:24PM
vena said...lol. i love that show.
2-18-2009 @ 2:41PM
Emily said...There are so many things wrong with this story. But the root of the problem is that in this day and age money is everything...more than ever in the past. I blame the tabloids who offer up ABSURD and OBSCENE amounts of money to glorify things that in the past would've been kept secret to avoid scandal. Now some people create or fake a scandal just to get money. Something is very wrong with this picture. If Tabs wouls stop offering such ridiculous sums, maybe people would be more responsible. Maybe not...but it is still outrageous.
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2-18-2009 @ 4:50PM
Stopthehate said...The tabloids pay big money for these stories because they sell magazines - it is the fault of the people who buy this crap.
2-18-2009 @ 2:44PM
Brian said...Boys usually dont have live sperm until around 14 but things happen.
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2-18-2009 @ 2:53PM
Bob said...I don't which story is worse this one or the Chimpanzee one, both show pretty irresponsible behaviour on the part of the human adults