Gypsy becomes world's youngest grandmother at age 23

[Raph's Girl]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...mother-23.html

A gypsy wife has become the world's youngest grandmother - aged just 23.

Rifca Stanescu, from the village of Investi, Romania, told how she gave birth to her daughter, Maria, while only 12.

Despite her mother's pleas to stay in school, Maria gave birth to son Ion at the age of 11.

Rifca, now 25, told the Sun: 'I am happy to be a grandmother but I wished something else for Maria - and something else for me.

'Ion is a good boy - and he is already engaged to a girl aged 8. Boys are always good to have - they don't have to suffer as much girls I think.'

Born in 1985, Rifca defied her family's wishes and ran away with jewellery seller Ionel Stanescu when she was 11 and he was 13.

A year after they were married, Rifca fell pregnant with Maria.

She said: 'I wanted to marry him, so I agreed, and of course after we had spent the night together then there was no way anyone could separate us. I had been promised to another boy's family since I was two years old but I didn't want that.'

In gypsy culture virginity is greatly prized and women are married young so that new husband's can be sure their new wives are virgins who affect a good dowry from the families of prospective husbands. Loss of virginity means a deal is cancelled.

She added: 'Before that there was a lot of fighting - once my father had even attacked my husband with a knife. He wanted him to pay 500,000 lei in compensation. My family even took me home but after three days I ran away again to be with him.'

After Maria's birth, Ionel's family paid Rifca's father a dowry and all was settled.

Maria's birth made Rifca's mother a grandmother aged 40.

Rifca said she begged daughter Maria to stay in school and finish her education.

Maria decided to follow in her footsteps and marry herself. Within six months she too had fallen pregnant with Ion.

She told how in Romanian gypsy community it is common for couples to marry young.

Rifca added: 'I did not try to stop my daughter getting married because this is the tradition, it's what happens.'

The youngest British grandmother was an unnamed 26-year-old from Rotherham, Yorkshire whose 12-year-old daughter gave birth in 1999.

[Ninjinister]

Sheesh. She's my age and I'm not even a (biological) parent yet. @.@

[Katie]

Gross.



I know a girl who is a 30 year old grandmother. Had a daughter at 15 and her daughter had a baby at 15. It's just sad really. Neither one got to really be a kid.

[Turo602]

Nothing to be proud of. It really makes me pissed seeing so many stupid people who make terrible decisions and act like they don't care. Especially when it comes to teen pregnancy. It's just sad. I see so many young girls pregnant at my school and I just can't help but think "what they were thinking?"

[Jester]

Originally Posted by The Ninjinister

Sheesh. She's my age and I'm not even a (biological) parent yet. @.@

Quoted because, really I'd have just posted the same thing.

[Volvagia]

Damn she's around my age and I'm not even close to planning to get a kid o_O

[deadpoolRKO]

that's crazy.

if her childrens children keep this up , she has potential to be the great great greatest grandmother of all time

[Raph's Girl]

Originally Posted by deadpoolRKO

that's crazy.

if her childrens children keep this up , she has potential to be the great great greatest grandmother of all time

Oh they'll definatly keep it up. Her grandson is 2 and engaged to an older girl. She's 8!

[Ninja Turtles 25 Years]

There is definately something wrong when the babies have babies. And you know it no wonder why some of these kids end up being so messed up. It's because they feel they need to be adults before they start puberty. I don't get it; at that age, how do 12 year olders feel the kind of chemistry anyway? I mean when I was 12, I wasn't thinking about having sex, but still watching cartoons on TV. In the end, it's the kids that are messed up, and it is not fair that these kids, as innocent as they are, are the ones who will deal with the underage parents irrosponsible acts.

This kind of reminds of a story in Britian about a 13-year old boy who became a father with a 15 year old girl. The father of the 13 year old, praised his son for bringing up a new kid. This father was the one who wanted his son at age 13 to be a father. It is so sick and it's sad that these innocent kids get screwed up for life for the idiot actions of the parents.

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

Originally Posted by Turo602

Nothing to be proud of. It really makes me pissed seeing so many stupid people who make terrible decisions and act like they don't care. Especially when it comes to teen pregnancy. It's just sad. I see so many young girls pregnant at my school and I just can't help but think "what they were thinking?"

I could tell you what they were thinking, but if I did it in a post versus a PM I'd probably be banned from these boards indefinitely

Has you some respect for other peoples' cultures? Theses peoples no know no better! It different when American girls do! Theses peoples-- they no know no better.