Berated Dad Mike, 19, and His 'Brood' May Have It Right After All

Summary

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Teenage dad Mike Blake came in for a bit of stick in the Press last week as he looked forward to the birth of his fifth child. The unemployed 19-year-old from Glyncoch couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. He's perfectly happy with his domestic arrangements. As he posed for a family portrait with wife Kathleen, 23, and their children, Sarah-Jane, six (from Kathleen's previous relationship), Jordan, three, Courtney, two and seven-month-old Kia, Mike said he was more content than many of his friends who were young, free and single.

The media, meanwhile, were more concerned with pointing out that Mike and his 'brood' - a word that is only applied to large families on council estates - were living on pounds 1,000 a month in benefits. The Daily Mail was particularly affronted by this sum, providing a handy graphic entitled 'How Much Money They Get'. Although it was an amount that wouldn't keep the average Mail feature writer in nights at the Groucho Club, let alone clothed, fed and watered for four weeks, they implied a family of six, soon to be seven, could enjoy the Glyncoch high life courtesy of the state.

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Berated Dad Mike, 19, and His 'Brood' May Have It Right After All

The message is that large families are the preserve of those who can afford a people carrier, mini-breaks at Center Parcs, the annual fortnight in Brittany and baby c...

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