A 23-Year-Old Woman Just Became The World's Youngest Grandma

She's the coolest granny on the block.

Alexandra

• Published in Funny
• January 25, 2018

When you hear the word "grandma", what kind of person do you envision? More than likely, you picture an elderly woman with grey hair and a walker who loves to make you cookies and spoil you rotten. You know what you probably do not think of when you hear the word? A 23-year-old woman. 

At 23, most of us are trying to find our way around the world while either working, attending college, or even starting a family of our own. Up until now, there has been no 23-year-old that is planning on welcoming their grandchild into the world. However, one woman now holds the title of being the youngest grandmother in the world- at the young age of 23. 

This grandma doesn't even want to think about it

Although it sounds like a made-up Jerry Springer episode, we assure you this is the real deal. Ricda Stanescu of Romania welcomed her daughter Maria into the world when she was no older than 12 years old. Ricda had high hopes that Maria would grow up and avoid becoming pregnant as a young girl but she was devastated when she learned that Maria was pregnant at only 11 years old. Maria recently gave birth to a healthy baby boy thus Ricda became a grandmother. 

Ricda became pregnant with Maria at 12

While this seems strange to many of us, Ridca is a Romanian Gypsy and in their culture, marriage and motherhood are a common thing to experience at a young age. When she was 11, Ridca married a 13-year-old local in order to avoid marrying another boy that her father arranged for her to be wed to. 

Ridca is the World's Youngest Grandmother

Ridca fought hard for her daughter to stay in school and pursue her education, rather than following in her footsteps. However, despite her best efforts, Maria found herself married at the age of 10 and expecting a child. The baby boy, named Ion, arrived healthy and thriving. 

Although Ridca was not thrilled with the decision, she noted, "I am happy to be a grandmother but I wished something else for Maria – and something else for me,” She went on, "I did not try to stop my daughter getting married because this is the tradition, it's what happens."

The Happy Grandparents

The average age for a woman in the United States to become pregnant is roughly 28. Ridca has not only beaten this statistic but she has beaten it twice over with the addition of her grandson! While it still seems unfathomable to us, Ridca's mother, Maria, also became pregnant at a young age and was a grandmother by 40. As you can see, the Romanian Gypsy culture is a bit different than we are accustomed to here. 

We aren't too sure how to process this all because having children at such a young age just seems unnatural and completely insane. However, if it works for them, it works for them. We have no right to judge and we wish them all the happiness in the world!

So the next time you're feeling a little guilty for wanting to have a night in or you're suffering from a backache, just remember it's perfectly normal since there are 23-year-old grandmas on this planet! 

Party On, Grandma

Alexandra