One of Australia's youngest mums opens up about parenting
Mollie Syrigos fell pregnant with her first child when she was just 13, making her one of Australia’s youngest mums.
In an interview about her beautiful boy, Theodore, Mollie told 9 News: “Oh my gosh, he is very energetic - an extremely cheeky and happy little boy. He’s like a little sponge really.”
The proud mother announced the news in May that she and her partner, Oscar, were expecting their second child by the end of the year.
Mollie, now 15, and Oscar, 16, have opened up about the challenges and rewards of being parents to a 1-year-old on SBS’s Insight.
“Ever since I feel pregnant with Theodore, and I knew I was pregnant, everything from then, literally, just changed,” Mollie explained.
While many people are surprised of the mum’s young age, she feels “a lot older than my actual age.”
“I guess I’m so focussed on trying to be mature and act older that I feel like I’m not a teenager, in a way,” Mollie said.
The backlash and concerned comments from strangers has been minimal for the young parents.
“I get a few dirty looks here and there, and a few people mumbling under their breath, but I’ve never had confrontation where someone would come up to me and say, ‘You’re disgusting.' It doesn’t really faze me," Mollie said.
“I’m so focussed on Theodore that the hate doesn’t matter, really.”
Her boyfriend, Oscar, also explained that parenting came completely naturally to the pair.
“We’re doing what everyone else is doing. We’re just a family,” he explained. “We’re just a normal family, with the exception that I’m sixteen and Mollie’s 15 and we have a 1-year-old—and another one on the way.”
You can hear more of Mollie’s incredible story—and from other young mums when 'Teen Parents' airs on SBS’s 'Insight' on Tuesday, August 1 at 8.30pm
This article first published on Marie Claire.
