May 7, 2009, 11:40 GMT
Hayden Panettiere doesn't want to be a young mother.
No kids please..... - Hayden Panettiere - "Star Trek" Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals - Grauman's Chinese Theater - Hollywood, CA. USA © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos
The 19-year-old 'Heroes' actress would love to have a large brood but is putting her family plans on hold until she is old enough to cope with the demands of parenthood.
She said: "I want a family. I actually want a lot of kids. Not like 10, maybe four. If you think, 'Oh I can't wait to be a mom,' that's great, but think about it for your child and go, 'I want to be a mom but I want to be the best mom I can be. And the only way to be the best mom I can be is by waiting until I'm no longer a child and waiting until I can teach them the best morals and raise them the best I can with a good education and a good platform.'"
Hayden also spoke about the problems of teenage pregnancy and says young people need to be made aware of the responsibilities that come with parenthood.
Speaking at the National Teen Pregnancy Awareness Day in New York, she said: "I don't think it's something that's talked about enough and I think that it's just human nature to not realise the severity of an issue until it happens to you, until it directly impacts your life. And you go, 'I'll never get pregnant. It will never happen to me. I know it happens but it won't happen to me. I'll never get in a car accident, I know it happens, but it won't happen to me.' Until it happens and then it's too late."
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