Let me start by putting all my cards on the table, writes Woman’s Editor Tracey O’Sullivan. I believe any child is a blessing regardless of the circumstances surrounding its birth.

I also think women should be encouraged to think about motherhood at a younger age and given support to do so as too many are finding the pressure to “have it all” mean they are missing out on family life.

But by younger I mean in their twenties, even late teens – not while they are still at school.

I’m sorry but I can’t see how it’s a good idea to offer antenatal classes at school for pregnant teenage mums. Government advisers now think the way to go is to allow young girls to skip classes to go play at being mum because they are embarrassed or feel judged when they attempt to access care through the normal routes.

But real life is about standing up for yourself and your child and facing such situations and it’s not always easy.

If they think they are old enough to take the risk of starting on that journey then they are going to have to be old enough to join the real world.

Let them go to the same antenatal classes that everyone else has to go to. They are readily provided at hospitals with regular appointments with midwives and health visitors as part of antenatal care. There is adequate provision without taking classes into schools and making it seem like a treat. Get pregnant and yes you no longer have to worry about double maths on a Friday afternoon.

Of course outright condemnation once someone is expecting a baby is far from constructive and no good to anyone but making it too easy for them is not the solution either.

If we want to create a society of parents who only start their family when they are old enough and responsible enough to do so then we need to set the boundaries for the next generation.

Cushioning the blow when things don’t go to plan, like we do in so many other things, so that they hardly feel the fall is simply forging a generation who will not be capable of dealing with the consequences of their actions.

That certainly won’t make for good parenting skills. If a baby is on the way then its mother and father will have to grow up and quickly, they have no choice. We need to make sure they understand that and that other teenagers see that to help bring down the soaring number of teenage pregnancies in the UK.

Having a baby should be a joyful experience but we also have a responsibility to encourage our children to wait until they are ready for it so that’s exactly what it is.