Hilarie: Katie Price is the worst kind of role model

Nov 21 2009 by Hilarie Stelfox, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THE STORY of Feckless Mother of the Year Rebecca Stevenson, who left four children under four home alone while she went out on a bender, caused mass outrage in the Examiner’s newsroom this week.

“She deserves to be lashed,’’ said one of our sports writers. “Not given a slap on the wrist.’’

It was truly heart-breaking to read how the four-year-old was left to feed her three-month-old baby brother, who was found pale and grey in his cot, covered in vomit.

The one-year-old was described as ‘hysterical’ and ‘urine-soaked’ and the two older children, barely out of nappies, were scavenging the house for food when a relative broke into the house to rescue them.

For this crime against parenthood, the 22-year-old received a 20-week suspended sentence.

At the risk of sounding too tough I suspect the only way to tackle such fecklessness is to make it quite clear to girls that the state will support them if they have one child out of wedlock, but after that it’s up to them.

They must be given aspirations other than having children when they’re still children themselves.

Miss Stevenson’s four children were fathered by three different men, men who had clearly relinquished all responsibility for their actions.

Stevenson was trying to do the same. She was putting her desire to go partying above the welfare of her children.

I recently watched a television programme in which feckless teenagers from Britain are sent to live with strict parents in another country.