Relationships | 02/17/2009 10:20 am

13-Year-Old 'Father' Alfie Patten to Take DNA Test

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

Kids these days! The 13-year-old British teen who reportedly fathered a child with his 15-year-old girlfriend will today take a DNA test to prove the child’s paternity. The test comes after reports that other teenagers have claimed to have had intercourse with the 15-year-old mother. This is starting to sound more and more like a really twisted episode of "Jerry Springer."

Alfie Patten became a celebrity recently when The Sun tabloid published photographs of the young lad holding his baby — or so he thought. The mother, 15-year-old Chantelle Steadman, gave birth to Maisie Roxanne on February 9.

While many may think that if Patten finds he’s not the dad he will consider this a "free pass," he may be quite upset. Perhaps a temper tantrum followed by a "time out"? Patten’s dad has said that while his son doesn’t understand the enormity of the situation, he’s desperate to be a responsible and devoted father. "He could have shrugged his shoulders and sat at home on his PlayStation," the dad reportedly told The Sun. "But he has been at the hospital every day."

17 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

This story overwhelms me……

By Patty E on 02/17/2009 10:32 am

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This sounds more like a TV soap show than reality. Sounds to me like their something wrong with this boy. Maybe his dad need to give him more chores and household responsibility. Either that or his brain is being rewired in the wrong way. LOL

By Grande Camper on 02/17/2009 10:37 am

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Why is a 13 year old boy having sexual intercourse? This breaks my heart. Very sad. What has happened to our world, morals, kids, belief systems?

By Belinda Joy on 02/17/2009 10:40 am

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He would have been 12 when this baby was conceived and she 14 Something is seriously not right with both families. ws/4679187/Mother-of-schoolboy-father-Alfie-Patten-in-court-over-truancy-claims.html Now it appears there are up to 8 potential fathers. It is a sad state of affairs. I also can’t help but remark that if the boy looks young now, think about how young he might have looked almost a year ago. The mother of the baby, while already 2 years older than Alfie, looks up to 4 or 5 years older than he is. How she could have been attracted to this very young boy in the first place is my initial question. Although she’s too young to be accused of pedophelia, the thought crossed my mind. If there are DNA tests being conducted on at least 3 of the potential fathers, it tells us that this young girl had very guidance and very little sense of self. It is a tragedy all the way around. This story has “legs” because the Alfie looks like a baby, but when one thinks about how many very young teens are sexually active and conceiving babies all across this country and the world, it makes one realize how many adults have failed and continue to fail their own children. If one doesn’t provide one’s children with sex education, establish clear boundaries, reinforce goals and in a nutshell, pay attention to one’s children, there is a greater chance of this sort of thing happening.

By Lucinda Herbert on 02/17/2009 11:38 am

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Sorry the link I provided above was incomplete … http://ws/4679187/Mother-of-schoolboy-father-Alfie-Patten-in-court-over-…

By Lucinda Herbert on 02/17/2009 11:42 am

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it makes one realize how many adults have failed and continue to fail their own children. If one doesn’t provide one’s children with sex education, establish clear boundaries, reinforce goals and in a nutshell, pay attention to one’s children, there is a greater chance of this sort of thing happening. By Lucinda Herbert on 02/17/2009 12:38 pm How true these words are!

By HA BIBI on 02/17/2009 12:10 pm

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I really don’t think the names of these children should be posted all over the world.

By Sandbee (FB) 54 on 02/17/2009 11:35 am

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That’s a very good point Sandbee. This story will follow them until the end of their days. I don’t think they would have been had the children been Americans living in the United States. I don’t think the UK has those kinds of laws.

By Lucinda Herbert on 02/17/2009 11:46 am

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Sad that it takes laws, common (or uncommon) courtesy should rule in certain circumstances.

By Sandbee (FB) 54 on 02/17/2009 12:29 pm

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Unfortunately though, tabloid stories sell.

By Lucinda Herbert on 02/17/2009 12:39 pm

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Good point Sandbee, I wondered about that too. I don’t think it’s right to post names of minors in situations like this. What we and everyone else who reads or hears of this story will comment on is the core act that took place. A little boy fathering a baby. That can be conveyed without listing the particulars of those involved which inevitably brings their respective families into it as well.

By Belinda Joy on 02/17/2009 11:47 am

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inevitably brings their respective families into it as well. By Belinda . on 02/17/2009 12:47 pm Belinda, I’m mostly interested in protecting the children — because they, after all, ARE children. When it comes to their respective families, however, I feel that the blame lies squarely on their shoulders. From the little we’ve learned, it seems both children have been very much neglected. This story sadly takes place entirely too frequently in this country as well. On the other hand, because we go to great lengths to not divulge, publicly, the names of those involved, not enough is done to prevent this sort of thing. I personally agree with not identifying minors, but to play the devil’s advocate, would children be better off in the long run, if there were a “List of Shame”? Would it shock more parents into paying attention to their children? Would it shock us into becoming more pro-active?

By Lucinda Herbert on 02/17/2009 12:37 pm

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Devil’s advocate: You and your husband are honest, hard working and devoted parent. You’ve raised your children well and instilled family values and beliefs within them. Your communication skills are always clear and open with plenty of give and take, honest and frank dialog between you. And one day you find out your 13 yr old has been having sex and got a 15 year old girl pregnant. It is made public and hits the local and national newspapers. Your child’s name and that of you and your husband are now on the tongues of everyone throughout America and the world. All commenting on how Lucinda allowed her son to have sex and look what happened? For shame. They are pathetic parents for allowing this to happen. In your mind it is fair, you and your husband should be shamed? No? But what makes you any different than the parents of the young boy in the UK? You two should be listed on a List of Shame. Yet you seemingly did everything right and still your son engaged in reckless and thoughtless actions that will now affect him for the rest of his life. Sometimes it does lie on the shoulders of the parents when their children engage in activities they shouldn’t, and sometimes is shouldn’t. Sometimes to no fault of their own children lie and are deceptive to their parents, In those instances when they receive publicity for their actions, their parents and their family should not be scrutinized, which is why children’s names should never be listed. I’m all for List of Shame for politics and business leaders, but children and their families, never.

By Belinda Joy on 02/17/2009 1:28 pm

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I agree with you and would like to add that such a list would also ultimately hurt the newborn child, who is completely innocent and more than likely will have all sorts of hurdles in life. Most of us know at least one person, who was born under difficult circumstances and has had to overcome everything that went along with this status in life and yet has managed to live a full and good life as a contributing member of society. It would be a great shame if instead of trying to ease this child’s journey, we took steps to make it more difficult.

I recently had a conversation with a friend who thought otherwise — she believed that it would be for the greater good and that a few casualties might be the price to pay.

I think we should try to find a better way because while there are those who have made every effort to be good parents and end up with egg on their face, I think so many negligent parents grew up in similar circumstances and don’t know how to be parents.

I think education is a far better way to break the cycle and prepare people to be parents.

By Lucinda Herbert on 02/17/2009 8:36 pm

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Even under U.S. laws, anyone who has a legal right to have his/her name withheld from publication can waive that right. I would suspect that the same is true in GB. In this case, it appears that the entire family was eager to get into the papers.

By Marina B. on 02/17/2009 12:36 pm