Thirty-Something Grandmothers

This story is disturbing on multiple levels.

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.

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

The majority of the women involved don’t regret having babies but some who became parents in their teens told a BBC documentary they wished they had done things differently.

Miss Bailee, whose daughter became pregnant at 15, and has an eight-month-old daughter, said: “I put Rickeita on the Pill as soon as she started her periods at 12 or 13.

“It wasn’t a case of giving her permission to sleep around but you can’t lock a young girl in her bedroom 24/7.

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