A mum who let her 13-year-old son smoke up to 30 cigarettes a day explained why she thought he had to do it.

Among the many documentaries filmed in the UK in the noughties was the Channel 4 fare Child Chain Smoker, which looked at the life of 13-year-old boy Joel Parker.

He’d only just become a teenager but had been smoking for years, and would sometimes light up as many as 30 times a day.

In the 2007 documentary, he claimed nicotine had no effect on him at all, saying it just calmed him down and that he felt ‘more refreshed’ when he had a cigarette.

Joel compared it to feeling thirsty and having a drink – having that need and then quenching it.

13-year-old Joel had been smoking for years by the time the documentary crew met him. (Channel 4)

His mum Pam said she ‘don’t want him to smoke for various reasons’, saying it’d be harmful to him in all sorts of ways and that she’d ‘already tried to get him to stop’ but her son’s smoking ‘doesn’t seem to bother me health wise’.

Child Chain Smoker showed various attempts to get him to stop, including totting up the cost of his smoking habit in the hundreds of pounds and showing him the lungs of a regular smoker.

In the documentary, he was also given nicotine patches, and then immediately went out for a cigarette anyway.

The kid told documentary filmmaker, James Routh, ‘let’s drop the camera for a bit’ before agreeing that he was worried about some of the concerns that had been raised with him.

Elsewhere in the documentary, Joel explained that he’d been peer pressured into taking up smoking and didn’t like it on his first two attempts.

However, when he tried it for a third time he ‘just started smoking’ and had carried on for years.

His mum said she’d tried to get her son to stop (Channel 4)

Even though she was against it and had tried to get him to stop, his mum explained why she hadn’t banned her son from smoking.

His mum said: “You’ve got to fit in round here, an outsider wouldn’t fit in, and to fit in you’ve got to be this tough sort of person.

“That’s how the kids are being brought up now. I know Joel away from this place would be a different child, a very different child.”

She added that she’d ‘rather him be in the house’, saying that she allowed him to smoke in the house because she knew he went outside for cigarettes, but said it was ‘the worst thing I ever done’.

His mum would promise him money in exchange for him not going out on the streets.

At the end of Child Chain Smoker, Pam had tried unsuccessfully to get rid of her own smoking habit, while Joel said he didn’t want to quit and ‘no one can make me quit’.

This model has a relationship with a man that is almost 20 years older than her and as you can imagine, her parents had something to say about it.

Just 28, Emily Downing met her significant other following a yoga class in 2018, before sealing the deal in November 2023.

Based in Los Angeles, USA, the happy couple even have a TikTok account where they share aspects of their life to their thousands of followers.

Emily’s partner, 47-year-old Michael Stomatuk, was drawn to her ‘natural beauty’ and skills in the studio, prompting him to ask for her phone number.

The couple have been married since last year. (Instagram/em_stomatuk)

He was the first to make a move with a compliment about her yoga practice, and despite both admitting that they got on like a house on fire from the get go, Emily, who would have been 22 at the time, said that she was wary of the gap in age between the two, according to The Sun.

After some time though, she swapped numbers with Michael, who was then 41.

He found that she was easy to get along with and sweet, while she also thought that he had a decent sense of humour.

Michael admitted that they ‘knew there was a connection’ but that due to a previous relationship of his and the looming age gap, they both didn’t dive head-on into the prospect of a serious relationship.

But, as expected, Emily’s parents had a strong opinion on the relationship, and when she announced their news to them, they were not pleased.

She explained how they felt after they met for the first time: “My parents were concerned.”

Emily’s parents were ‘concerned’ with her decision. (Instagram/em_stomatuk)

Emily further explained: “But there was one thing my dad said to me when he found out I was still seeing Michael,

“He said, ‘I raised you better than this’. It was a dagger to the heart.”

According to Michael, they had been friends for a year and slowly moved towards a relationship, as they realised that their levels of maturity were similar.

As the pandemic hit though, they became a serious couple, and her parents have not had any issues with the relationship since.

To get there though, Emily admitted that she had to ‘train some of the f*** boy out of him’.

Their first date consisted of them walking the model’s dog around the area, talking for more than three hours.

Michael and Emily built on their initial strong physical and emotional attraction before going serious in 2020, announcing it to friends and family.

The pair have been married since last year.

A mum has explained why she thinks there is nothing wrong with walking around her home she shares with her teenage son while wearing little to no clothes.

Molly Manning even says she has even had conversations with her son while topless or getting her clothes on, saying an image of a naked body in itself is not immediately a sexual thing.

49-year-old Molly moved from Perth in Australia to Los Angeles in the USA after embarking on a new career as an OnlyFans model.

After struggling financially in her native country, she transitioned to a career creating adult content with thousands of people subscribing to her OF platform.

Molly’s career now also includes shooting mainstream pornography, and she has said it has given her son and herself a ‘comfortable’ life.

She added that she ‘doesn’t care what other people think’ either.

“As a single mum I was struggling to get employed and a lot of people said to me – ‘hey, you should do OnlyFans‘,” Molly said.

“I really didn’t know much about it, so I was going in very blindly and I didn’t really know what to do. Then eventually I just kind of thought, well, you know what? I’m in Los Angeles. I’m already shooting porn on my OnlyFans, I may as well start shooting mainstream porn.

Molly Manning moved from Australia to the USA to embark on a career in the adult industry (PR image)

“I probably should have done it sooner, but I was too worried about what other people thought. I’ve only got one life and I’m comfortable with myself, my son’s comfortable, so I don’t care what other people think.”

With Molly being a single mum, she says paying her bills and supporting her son financially matters the most, asking people to think twice before questioning or judging her.

Being active within the porn industry has meant that Molly takes a less mainstream approach to sex education in her own home that she shares with her teenage son.

That includes walking around without any clothes on while her son is at home. She’ll even have chats with him while in the nude.

Molly started on OnlyFans before entering the more mainstream porn industry (PR supplied)

Explaining why she does this and why she believes it is a normal thing to do, Molly said: “I’m very comfortable with my sexuality. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t have a problem occasionally walking around naked.

“My son will have a conversation with me and I’ll be topless or getting dressed; just because I’m naked doesn’t mean it’s sexual, that’s the viewers’ mentality.

“I’m very liberal in regards to nudity and there’s nothing sexual about me being naked at home.”

Molly added: “The reality of it is, if a child can’t see a naked female or male at home and that be their first point of reference for nudity, then there’s something wrong.

“I mean, if a child is having to look online to see a nude body, then I think there’s something wrong, because there’s a very good chance it will be a super sexualised image.”

Jennifer Aniston has praised her longtime friend Adam Sandler for a heartwarming tradition that highlights his thoughtful nature.

The Friends star shared with The Wall Street Journal in 2023 that Sandler sends her flowers every single year on Mother’s Day – a gesture that carries significant weight given her journey.

While Aniston doesn’t have children, she has been open about her struggles with fertility, shedding light on the deeply personal and emotional experiences she endured while trying to conceive.

In an interview with Allure in 2022, the actress reflected on the challenges she faced in her 30s and 40s, including undergoing IVF and exploring alternative therapies.

Todd Williamson/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank

“All the years and years and years of speculation… It was really hard. I was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it,” she shared. “I was throwing everything at it. I would’ve given anything if someone had said to me, ‘Freeze your eggs. Do yourself a favour.’ You just don’t think it.”

She admitted that while the process was emotionally gruelling, she’s reached a point of acceptance.

“The ship has sailed. I have zero regrets. I actually feel a little relief now because there is no more, ‘Can I? Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.’ I don’t have to think about that anymore.”

Sandler’s annual gesture of sending her flowers on Mother’s Day is a touching nod to her journey and the friendship they’ve shared for decades.

It’s a simple but effective reminder that she’s seen, appreciated, and supported – especially on a day that could otherwise be difficult for someone with her history.

The two Hollywood icons have been close friends for years, having starred together in hits like Just Go With It and Murder Mystery.

Sandler’s wife, Jackie, also plays a role in ensuring Aniston feels loved and acknowledged on Mother’s Day, showing the genuine care the couple has for their longtime friend.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

This isn’t the first time Aniston has spoken out about societal pressures and the scrutiny surrounding her decision – or perceived inability – to have children.

In a 2016 essay for Huffington Post, she addressed the relentless media speculation.

“Here’s where I come out on this topic: We are complete with or without a mate, with or without a child. We get to decide for ourselves what is beautiful when it comes to our bodies,” she wrote. “That decision is ours and ours alone.”

Now, as she reflects on her journey, Aniston acknowledges that the struggles she endured helped shape her into the resilient person she is today.

“I would’ve never become who I was meant to be,” she told Allure. “That’s why I have such gratitude for all those s***ty things. Otherwise, I would’ve been stuck being this person that was so fearful, so nervous, so unsure of who they were.”

Adam Sandler’s annual gesture might seem small, but it speaks volumes about the important of friendship, compassion, and showing up for the people we care about – even in unexpected ways.

It’s proof, once again, that Sandler isn’t just a comedy legend, but also seems like an all-around good guy.