Three generations of mothers: the baby’s mother on the far left, the paternal grandmother in the centre, and the paternal great-grandmother on far right. - SCMP composite/Douyin
BEIJING: A woman in China proudly became a grandmother at the age of 36 after her 18-year-old son welcomed his first child, igniting a heated debate across the country about early marriage and parenthood.
The young grandmother, surnamed Liu, hails from Huizhou city in southern China’s Guangdong province and works in the interior decorating industry.
On Aug 22, she posted a video of herself on Douyin smiling and holding her newborn grandson.
Liu captioned the video, “I’m so happy and proud to have such an adorable grandson. My daughter-in-law has worked hard.”
As the baby’s father is only 18, he and his 20-year-old wife are unable to legally register their marriage.
In China, the legal marriage age is 22 for men and 20 for women.
As the baby’s father is only 18 years old, he and his 20-year-old wife are unable to legally register their marriage because the legal marriage age in China is 22 for men and 20 for women. - Douyin
Liu said her husband was also very excited to become a grandfather at 38.
She mentioned that her family has a long tradition of early marriage and childbirth. Her mother, the newborn’s paternal great-grandmother is only 58 years old.
On Sept 4, Liu shared a video of herself shopping with her daughter-in-law, saying: “At 36, I can hang out and have fun with my 20-year-old daughter-in-law just like close friends.”
The family’s situation has sparked a heated discussion on mainland social media about whether early marriage and childbirth should be encouraged, with related topics garnering 52 million views on Weibo.
Some supporters of young grandmothers defended the family’s decision.
“At 36, I’m still overwhelmed by work, but Liu has entered a new phase of life early – she is so lucky to be a real winner in life,” one Weibo user wrote.
Others criticised them for starting a family instead of pursuing further education.
“At 18, the son should be going to university, not becoming a father. The education level of this family needs improvement,” another commented.
There have been increasing calls for the prevention of early marriage and childbirth, suggesting that youthful parenting can be detrimental to both well-being and child development.
“Parents who are too young often aren’t psychologically mature or knowledgeable enough to provide proper care for newborns,” one individual commented.
There have been many other reports about young grandmothers across Asia.
In April, a 34-year-old woman from Singapore proudly said she had inspired her son to become a father at 17.
In July 2022, a woman from central China surnamed Zhang, sparked controversy after becoming a grandmother at 36. However, she stated that she would not encourage others to have children at an early age. - South China Morning Post
