Advice needed on best way to announce a birth

[cyra]

My 17 year old niece is pregnant and I am looking for advise on how to best frame this news to my 11 year old impressionable dd who dotes on and adores her cousin. The pregnancy was unplanned and the result of a casual fling

Any advice welcome

I would have a serious talk to your DD about it. Don't glamorise it. Don't gloss over it. Don't act as though it's a wonderful thing and let's all be very jolly about it. Make sure your DD knows it's not a good thing to have happened, that your neice is very young and was careless and that you're disappointed in her.

Then, once these foundations have been laid, I would say that you're all going to be very supportive and positive now that the baby is coming and that nobody is to say anything mean to your neice etc that babies are a happy event and you'll make the best of it.

You need for your DD to know that it's not ok for her to end up in this situation herself. But, at the same time, you don't want to spoil her relationship with her cousin or think that you're not tolerant or supportive of family going through tough times.

Good luck

hi there cyra
this is a tough one.. well my cousins daughter has just had a baby and she is 13! only just turned. At the end of the day there no bad way of saying it. in my opinion (not like i know much as my DC are ds8 and dd 3) id tell my DD about the pregnancy. your DD will see how hard it is and i'm sure she's clever enough to see a baby is hard work when your young. not saying your neice isnt clever just the way things have turned out. teach your dd when you feel it neccesary about protection and thats all you can do. just be there so she can talk to you about anything and things will be fine

there are not alot of people that havent supported my neice bless her. i just talk to her when needed and i never make her feel she made the wrong decision as she already knows how hard it is now.

i'm sure you have nothing to worry about

t care