One of Britain’s youngest grans says she’s constantly mistaken for her grandchildren’s mum - while people reckon she looks younger than her own daughters.
Glam Kelly Jackson, 37, from Northampton, became a grandma at 33 when her 21-year-old daughter fell pregnant at 17.
The mum-of-five now has four grandchildren, as her 21-year-old twin daughters have both had two children, but her youngest son is actually older than two of her grandkids.
Kelly says people often think she’s her daughters’ sister, with some commenting she looks younger than they do.
She explains: "When I tell people they are my grandchildren, the response I usually get is a wide open mouth followed by 'no way, you're lying' and being told I barely look 25.
"I've also had people tell me that there is no way I can be a grandparent.
“I get a lot of shocked reactions, but my daughters are used to it now and just laugh it off.”
Kelly fell pregnant with her twin daughters at 14 and had them when she was 15.
She says: “We are close in age as it is, but we are best friends.
"I have five children altogether - Jade and Jasmine are 21, and then I have three boys - Harry, 14, Jasper, eight, and Zachary, five.
"Jade has a daughter who is four and a son who is three, and Jasmine has a son who is two and a daughter who is three months old.
"My son has just left nursery but he was there at the same time as my grandson, so we would do the drop off and pick up together, and spend the day together too.
"I am constantly being confused for my grandchildren's mum, or people think I am my daughter's friend or sister.
"I have also been asked where I get my Botox done as I don't look like a grandma, but I have never had any work done!
"When my daughters were in secondary school their friends would always say, 'Oh my god, I can't believe that is your mum'.
"It was nice but at the same time it feels as if you're in a fish bowl and everyone is looking at you, which did give me a bit of anxiety.
"I do like my clothes and dressing well, and I take care of my appearance.
“It did attract attention, which I don't think my girls appreciated, but they have always been so proud to call me their mum.
"We have such a close relationship, it's so nice to have the bond that we have. We spend a lot of time with each other.”
'Shock to the system'
Kelly admits she was stunned when her daughter announced she was expecting a baby at 17 - days after she gave birth to her youngest.
She recalls: "I was sat on the sofa winding my four-day-old son when Jade told me she was pregnant.
"It was a shock to the system, I had been a young parent myself and everyone wants better for their children, but how could I be angry about the fact my family was expanding?
"There is a small age gap between my youngest son and my eldest granddaughter, but I wouldn't change it for the world.
“Zachary was born in July and Mila, Jade's daughter, was born the following January.
"I have loved having my children young, it means I am able to share these experiences now with them.
“Being a young grandma is nice. It can be difficult some days, but I am still very young and active.
“I have a very active role in my grandchildren's lives and I see or FaceTime them every day, and have done since they were born.
“We all have a very close knit relationship.
"My mum also had me at 17, so we're a family of young mums. It hasn't worked out to be a bad thing.”
Breaking the taboo
Kelly says she does worry about the “stigma” around young and teen mums, but insists it is “so outdated and needs to change”.
She says: "I think we have all well and truly broken the stigma. We have all done well for ourselves.
"I was 15 and my partner was 16 when we had our twins, and he worked so hard to provide for us all, and my daughter's partners are exactly the same.
"I do help with childcare as and when it's needed, but we're together so much that the support is always there.
“I do have young children myself and my oldest son has special educational needs, so I try to help as and when, but they also have support from both sides as well.”
She adds: "What works for some doesn’t for others, and being young mothers obviously works for my family.
"It means we have a lot more energy. I envy my younger self, but I also wonder how I managed twins at 15.
"Although it was far easier to have twins at 15 than having a son at 31. You don’t worry as much when you’re younger, you don’t stress as much.
“I didn't really have much anxiety about anything and I had a ‘get up and get on with it’ attitude, which meant I flew through it and didn’t find it difficult.
"My health visitor said I did better at 15 with two than mums at 30 with one.
"I do wish I had that energy now as four grandchildren means it's waned a little.”
She adds that her “shop is now shut” and she doesn’t want any more children.
“Neither do Jade and Jasmine,” she says. “So it's now up to the boys!”
