Sadly teenage pregnancies have become all too common, even trendy in some spots. While movies like Juno make it seem like an American phenomenon, other parts of the world have seen babies having babies for ages. In many countries, the age of consent is as low as 13 or 14. Though it varies by state in America, the average age of consent is 16. So when we hear about an 11-year-old having a daughter, it still shocks the system. When I think of 11-year-olds, I imagine budding girls starting middle school and having their first crush. I think training bras and scrawny legs, not breastfeeding an infant. But that's exactly where one young lady finds herself.
An 11-year-old Bulgarian girl had a daughter in the middle of her wedding festivities. Yes, wedding festivities. The two wanted to tie the knot before the baby's arrival. Apparently it was love at first sight when her 19-year-old fiancé rescued her from a bullying group of lads. The two consecrated their love for each other within a week and unknown to him, she lied about her age so not to scare him off. She immediately became pregnant with his child. Now the two teens are parents to Violeta. The new mommy said, ""I'm not going to play with toys anymore — I have a new toy now."
Vic Matiﾏ
Fontanelli
6ixty 8ight
sad.
1and kind of weird.
I'm not saying it is wrong to have a baby without being married,but look at all the woman in hollywood who are being glamorized for having a baby bump . I had a baby at 18 and it is one of the hardest things I have ever had to go through,could not imagine having one at 11.
2That quote at the end made me sick. And I agree with anonymous..tired of celebs glamorizing having babies out of wedlock.
3ELEVEN!?!?!
4i can't believe her parents/the state are allowing her to keep the baby...i mean, i guess i've never put much thought into rules of keeping your own child, but i mean...how can she take care of it? and the 19 year old guy is a statutory rapist, whether he knew it or not
how an eleven year old girl even thought to lie about her age to win the heart of a 19 year old is beyond me...this is so weird
She has a new toy now? So sad when someone is obviously immature (regardless of years on the earth) makes comments like that about a new life they have brought into the world.
As for unmarried Hollywood moms, good for them. Why in the world do you need to be married to be good parents? They are quite wealthy women that have more than enough means to take care of a child, married or not.
5This whole story is sick. You're not even done growing at 11, let alone ready to pop out a kid. And I agree skigurl, I definitely have never known any 11 year old that would have thought to lie about her age to have sex.
6Skigirl.. it might not be rape depending on the laws of the country. Look at adult men (40+ years) that take 15 year old brides and impregnate them
7I agree zivanod. I don't think celebrities are glamorizing having kids out of wedlock. It is very much their lives and their right to live their lives however they see fit. Where is the self-responsibility in our society?
I feel so bad for this little girl. Her quote made me a little sick.
8Money is not the point Ziv.
9And the media glamorizes it
10I guess you could say I am a traditionalist when it comes to starting a family (after marriage)
11i actually read the article after i commented and it says "Jeliazko was facing six years in jail for having sex with a minor. The age of consent in Bulgaria is 14."
furthermore, within a WEEK of meeting they had sex and got pregnant...so this wasn't like a long term boyfriend ("long term" being whatever that is at age 11...) and now they're married...the injustices with this story are unreal
12touche ! my bad, skigirl.. I should post before I read!
13alot of youung girls look up to those celebrites, I never said unmarried people don't make good parents. most teenagers do not have the same money that celebs do,so that is why I think it is sick that it is so glamorized. I don't know if you ever had a baby out of wedlock,but I have and if it something I could change,I would have def. been married.
14I sincerely doubt that it's legal in any EU country to get married at 11, so I'm wondering whether the "three-day Roma wedding" mentioned in the article is actually more of a symbolic ceremony. Can anyone clear that up?
The article says she pretended to be 15, I really don't think that's strange behaviour for an 11-year-old at all.
15Hmm.. I would want to hear more about this and see how she's dealing with the situation before I make a snap judgment. This isn't the way our (and most) societies do things, but does that make it wrong? She looks happy to me, and I'll be she has tons of energy at that age. Not saying I would do it or advocate for it, but I don't think it's appropriate to make snap judgments when you really don't know much about the situation at all.
16I'm sickened by the people who say that the government should take the baby away from her, without knowing how the baby is being taken care of. He looks happy and healthy to me. Do you think being taken care of by an orphanage or foster parents would be better, assuming that's what the government would do?
17Ugh. What? She got sick of playing with her Barbies? "I have a new toy now". What a quote.
18very sad....well at least most pregnant celebrities are adults and with money
19dat 19 yr old ot 2 b stoned...............sum1 needz 2 mak a facebook group 4 dat
20uh, I wouldn't let an 11 year old babysit my child.
21emma, sweetie, it's easier to type normally. and it makes you appear much more intelligent.
22that is just so wrong. the guy's almost twice her age.
23Totally shocking!!! That was my first thought when i heard the news. I am from Bulgaria, and believe me, it has been a common occurrence around here to have a baby while you're still a teenager (though i don't think that this 11-year old qualifies as such). @Madchen - this "Roma-style wedding) is somewhat of a tradition in the gypsy society in Bulgaria. I won't go into much detail about the ceremony itself, but i am sure you have heard about the age of the brides-12 being one of the youngest. I am appalled to say the least by this tendency in my country - i am 18 and still a virgin, so you can imagine my shock with the news...
I agree with some of the opinions here-the magazines and the celebrity culture are really setting up a distorted image of what normal life is considered to be today
24im afraid dats not possibl,runningesq
25So sad! I feel bad for her and her "new toy".
26runningesq i second that motion and was about the write the same thing!!! emma, please, no one wants to read that.
27Having babies out of wedlock? Really? Isn't this 2009? Its fine if you don't want to have children before being married, but please don't judge others for doing it. Especially celebrities who have enough resources to more than care for their children. Many of them adopt these children. Sheryl Crow, Sharon Stone.
As to this story, yuck. Let's hope this girl and baby have a lot of support.
28Roarman, I think the point is that TEENAGERS are seeing this behavior and thinking it is OK to just pop out a baby bc it is so fun and this and that. Well, its not.
29Comparing them to sheryl crow ans sharon stone who adopt is totally not the point.. completely different
I agree, Philly. Babies have come to be seen as a fashion accessory.. something cute and trendy. Many teenagers don't realize that celebrities have slews of cooks, nannys, etc.
If someone wants to be a single parent then more power to them ! However, MANY of these single parents in Hollywood CHOOSE to have a child - either by adoption, surrogate, donor, etc.
30The legal age for marriage in Bulgaria is 18. It was a spiritual/religious ceremony without legal binding.
I wish them luck...there's nothing that harsh criticism can do to make this situation better. I feel for them.
31fyi i honstly do not care 4 ur commntz yet i do not feel the need 2 call u out on dem partly bcuz i couldnt care less about u ppl and u most likely would not care 4 my opinion as well as da fact dat i hav bettr things 2 do. i did not understand ur post, skigurl (heheh...talkn about spelling...gurl) bcuz my dictionary does not contain the word "i"!!!! wat is dat??
good day
32Wow. It is definitely shocking to see what goes on in other cultures. I cannot imagine having a child at age 11. Just cannot even fathom it. Good luck to her is all I can say.
33I also agree with those comments about how Hollywood celebrities are glamourizing having a baby. Teenagers need to realize that it's not all fun...and yes, the celebs have a TON of help. Definitely not a real image of motherhood.
I do not agree, however, with those who say it's wrong to have a child "out of wedlock." If you are an appropriate age, and are in a stable, loving relationship, I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
My boyfriend and I have been together for some time, and have raised a happy, healthy, smart little girl. We didn't feel the need to get married just because we were having a child. We already had a life changing situation to deal with, we didn't need to push ourselves into another huge decision.
I think the real point is that raising a child is not like raising a "doll". It is difficult, requires an enormous amount of maturity. patience and intelligence. Attributes not found in an 11 year old! Also she was sexually taken advantage of. The child should be taken away, the fiance convicted and the girl put in therapy! this has nothing to do with hollywood mothers or anyone else, come on people!
34Anon, what is viewed upon as wrong and illegal in our country is not always the same in others. Although I don't agree with it either, and think 11 is FAR too young to be a mother, and could of course have detrimental effects on her, it's not out of place there. It is sickening though. Especially the quote from the girl at the end of the story.
35To blame the media and the stars themselve for teenage pregnancy is ridiculous. It takes a lot more than a news story and Angelina Jolie to make a teenager think having a baby is a good idea. Teenagers having babies out of wedlock is not a new phenomenon.
36bellafranki,how old were you when you had your baby,if you don't mind me asking? I was 18 when I had her and there is no way I could have gotten married then,so I know what you mean
37To anon 37, I was 21 when I had my daughter. But just didn't feel right about rushing into marriage when we were headed into such new territory as parents already
38Don't get me started.
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