The next person to glare...

[Andara Bledin]

The youngest mother ever on record was a five year old Peruvian girl.

Yup. Here's the skinny from Snopes.

I've always assumed young girl/child pairings were a sibling relationship. Especially with how many of a particular racial group tend to have a lot of kids and the oldest female child gets saddled with helping raise 'em. I used to see this constantly while taking the bus.

The only time I ever assume a young woman with a child is the mother is pretty much when she's wandering around with a full baby-care setup and walking with a young man who is obviously her husband or boyfriend. But beyond hoping they have the resources to care for the kid and being glad there are two parents in evidence, I don't dwell on it. I've got more interesting things to think about.

^-.-^

[zzapp the witch]

Had my first at 20, had to put up with the glares and slut comments....(I was married, too). Now I'm a single mom with 3 kids, still get stares and comments cause apparently a 29 yr old (who looks a lot younger than she is) is a slut for having 3 kids......

And the poor bf, (he's 44), I'm constantly pre-empting comments from other people. When we're together (he's Native American, so has that tight drawn face with the leathery wrinkles, makes guessing his age harder, but you still know he's not young) its HORRID the glares, stares and whispers. I'm just so glad that he doesn't seem to notice. I look very young, he looks older, and with us standing next to each other the difference is even more striking. Add to that 3 kids and all of a sudden people think he's the old pervert that's been training up a girl from 12 years old to be his personal baby factory.

/sigh I just hope no one ever says it loud enough right in front of him.....I don't think he'd respond well.

[Sylvia727]

A reporter for my high school newspaper did something like this. She went to five different businesses; I can't remember what they were, but something like two restaurants and three department stores. She spent a certain amount of time in each one and noted how she was treated by the staff and by the other customers. A week later she went back, but wearing a pregnancy suit. The staff mostly responded with covert stares and less politeness than before, though nothing obvious. The customers whispered and muttered, and several called her a slut.

I've always looked older than I really am, so when I was 14 and my 5 year old brother was mistaken for my son, I played it up Granted I got my share of mean old biddies talking about me in overly loud voices, but mostly I got compliments on my beautiful child.

[redmountaingoldfish]

I know it's just because I'm evil, but it would be funny (to me) to take one of those realistic baby dolls out in public and just mistreat the hell out of it just to freak people out.

There's a scene in the movie License to Wed like that.

[myswtghst]

Do that to a real baby and you end up with me as a baby.

IPF - it's scary, because your description sounds a lot like me as a child. I was constantly escaping my stroller, climbing on EVERYTHING and talking to strangers.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I know it's just because I'm evil, but it would be funny (to me) to take one of those realistic baby dolls out in public and just mistreat the hell out of it just to freak people out. Not like, beat it or anything overt like that...feed it soda and stick gum to the top of it's head and stuff.

Do that to a real baby and you end up with me as a baby.

My parents tell me I used to have so much energy I did laps around the house--crawling and walking.

Upstairs and downstairs too. And I didn't have stairs completely mastered so I took a few rough landings. (Explains a lot doesn't it?)

I also used to bounce myself as hard as I could in my bouncer. I broke one doing this. I'd keep doing it until I fell asleep.

[repsac]

The youngest mother ever on record was a five year old Peruvian girl.

[MystyGlyttyr]

Now for something completely different...

I know it's just because I'm evil, but it would be funny (to me) to take one of those realistic baby dolls out in public and just mistreat the hell out of it just to freak people out. Not like, beat it or anything overt like that...feed it soda and stick gum to the top of it's head and stuff. But I imagine that would lead to police involvement and irritation of people I'd rather not irritate. Still, a humorous notion.

[draftermatt]

Wow, what is with some people?

My sister in law had her son at 17, I've never noticed glares when we go out though. And oddly enough no one ever thinks he's my wife and my child.

My brother in law is 11 (my wife 23) so she sometimes would get "I hope he isn't yours" when out with him.

But I'm like most of you, I assume baby sitter or sibling, or cousin, etc. when I see someone young looking with a child. I never, ever assume anything about the paterninty or maternity of children unless I know the person, or see it being born, or the kid is saying "mama" or "dada" or it's nursing.

It's none of my business.

[Saydrah]

Even if it was a real baby, it didn't necessarily mean your friend gave birth to it. She could have simply been the babysitter, older sister, cousin, etc.

People are too quick to assume sometimes.

So true! I have a 7yo niece and I always get everyone saying, "And would your daughter like...?" or "What will your daughter order?" when I'm in public with her. Luckily I look a fair bit older than I am and I live in a town that is pretty parenting-friendly so I haven't experienced many glares or "slut" comments, but I do get some kind of pointed comments about her age- she also looks older than she is, so with how old people tell me I look, plus her looking more like 9, I would have been 16 or so when I had her if she were my daughter and both of us actually were the ages we look.

I usually say, "Thanks for the compliment- she's a wonderful kid and I'm flattered you think she's mine, but I can't take credit!" All of the above said in a simpering tone with a sweet Southern accent, akin to, "Why bless your little hearts..."

[myswtghst]

Ditto. I mean, the thought sometimes crosses my mind, but if there's two kids, I'm usually thinking siblings, especially on the bus.

Pretty much same for me. I baby sat for most of my youth, and would often take the kids out to the park. I even went on vacation with a family, parents had their own room, I stayed with the kids in our own room, and we did our thing the whole trip. Thankfully, I don't think anyone mistook me for their mother.

[wolfie]

Speaking of teen mothers..

I can beat that - on the radio last week, they were talking about someone who was scheduled to give birth on her seventh birthday. Of course, she was born on Feb. 29th.

[Broomjockey]

Personally, if I saw a teenage girl holding a baby I make the connection that it was her sibling or cousin. I would not go straight to the mother-child relationship unless I knew it for a fact.

Ditto. I mean, the thought sometimes crosses my mind, but if there's two kids, I'm usually thinking siblings, especially on the bus.

[BookstoreEscapee]

yet they were so happy to hate her for it.

I think you hit the nail on the head with this phrase. A lot of people judge others because it makes them feel better about themselves...

Speaking of teen mothers...I heard a story last week about a girl in Argentina who has 7 kids and has just turned 17. She had the first at 14, then two sets of triplets in the next 2 1/2 years. Yikes.

[redmountaingoldfish]

Personally, if I saw a teenage girl holding a baby I make the connection that it was her sibling or cousin. I would not go straight to the mother-child relationship unless I knew it for a fact.

Maybe its because I have a bajillion cousins and second cousins ranging from 0 to 35, with me being in the middle, so whenever there's a family function there's always someone holding a random baby.

Or maybe it because I'm not a grouchy old person who hates those "damn slutty kids."