I was a mother at 13 and had no help – trolls say I ‘should have given her away’

Being a mother isn’t easy, especially when you’re only 13 and face many more obstacles.

That’s what happened to American Michele Dalton, who shares her story online with her 85,000 followers.

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The mother of four became pregnant with her first daughter, Alecia, at age 12 and gave birth when she was 13.

She is now 36 and grandmother of two daughters from her eldest, who is 23.

In one of their recent videos, the duo takes part in the ‘natural’ trend, which sees people listing stereotypes and patterns they fall into because of their situation.

“I got her when I was 13, of course people say I should have given her away for someone else to raise her,” Michele said begins.

“She had me when I was 13 and when I tell people how old my mother is, of course they say, ‘That’s not possible,’” her daughter says.

She adds: “She had me when I was 13, and of course everyone thinks she’s my sister.”

“I got her when I was 13, of course everyone asked questions and doubted what our future “What would it look like,” says Michele.

In other parts of the clip, she says she raised Alecia without help from her mother or father, admitting it was hard but that “we survived.”

In the comments, Michele was especially praised for her perseverance, despite the unusual dynamics within her family.

“It sounds like you did a great job.

“Congratulations on your beautiful family,” one person wrote.

Another commented: “You did it, girl.” [red heart emoji]. Good job [two pink hearts emoji].”

A third wrote: “I love this! I had my son when he was 15 and now we’re proving people wrong!!”

“I’m proud of you! I can’t imagine it was easy, but you did it [red heart emoji]”, said someone else.

In another video in a similar style, she tells viewers, “I still have to open people’s mouths when they find out she’s my daughter.”

Statistics on teenage mothers in the UK

Since 2007, the number of teenage pregnancies in the UK has fallen significantly…

The percentage of conceptions under the age of 18 has fallen significantly since 2007, reports show Nuffield Trust.

Between 2007 and 2021, the conception rate among women under 18 in England and Wales fell by 68%, from 42 per 1,000 women to 13 per 1,000 women.

This resulted in 13,131 pregnancies under the age of 18 in England and Wales in 2021.

The teenage mother also shares that when Alecia finished high school, her youngest was just starting.

Michele added that her sisters became aunts before they were even teenagers

Michele shared her struggles: “Everything you do in your life, you will be judged by someone.

“If I hadn’t kept my baby at 13, I wouldn’t have the best life now with my 23-year-old daughter and her two babies.

“Teenage moms can do it.”