There’s noperfecttime to have children.
Both advantages and challenges come with having children at an older age.
“Due to medical issues, we were not able to have children.
I always knew I wanted to adopt…my grandmother was adopted of the Orphan Train.
We were both 39.
We adopted three little girls, ages five months, 17 months, and three years, all siblings.
The two oldest had been in care for 18 months and were bounced around foster homes and a shelter.
I became a stay-at-home mom overnight!
When the 3-year-old called him Daddy, time stopped.
We might have been a bit slower physically, but we kept up.
We had a lifetime of knowledge and love to give to our girls.
Although, he passed 14 years ago…I continue giving the love we both had for our girls.
In them, I see the best we were.”
Im 38, my husband is 42, and we have an 18-month-old.
We definitely were emotionally and mentally ready to be parents, but physically, it’s had its challenges.
Unfortunately, we had two miscarriages.
“I had my first baby at 34 and my second at 39, both boys.
I appreciated motherhood much more than I would have when I was younger.
They’re now 20 and 24, and our life is an entertaining circus.”
“I was 35.
Id lived a good life, traveled the world, and done everything I could possibly want in life.
I have a good, stable job and own my own home.
“When my husband and I had our first daughter in 2002, we were 24.
We were not young then, but now we feel like her young parents.
Simultaneously, we are the older parents because we had our last child at 41.
We are both 47 now, and the difference in our parenting is huge!”
sleepingship305
6.
My parents tried to have me for nine years.
They started trying a year after they got married.
They even went through IVF and still didn’t get pregnant.
“After several miscarriages, I had my second (and last) child at age 43.
“My husband and I tried for seven years to get pregnant.
I finally gave birth to our twin girls in February at age 37.
We ADORE our girls!
Or, if they do have infants, it’s their second or third kid.
I don’t know anyone else who is a first-time older mom, let alone a mom of twins.
It can be really isolating.”
Your body might take a hit but your life will be so enriched by this new little person.”
“I had my first child at 40, and we had our last when I was 45.
Being an adult with a solid job, a great relationship and financial stability with no kids was fantastic.
Life had freedom and simplicity that you didnt realize were amazing until they were gone.
As an older parent, that all comes to a sudden jarring stop.
In my 20s, I worked two to three jobs and attended school.
There would have been no time for kids.
I barely had time for myself and my now-husband.
I am smarter in my 30s.
I wouldnt have had the dedication, patience, love, and money if I did it earlier.”
“It’s definitely challenging, exhausting, and hard to find common ground with younger parents.
So, it’s definitely a struggle, but also the best blessing I could have ever imagined.
I was 44 when I had my daughters.”
“I had my son when I was 40, almost 41.
My child is now a freshman in university.”
“My wife was 34 and 36 when she gave birth.
She had the time of her life being a mother.
She misses that time.
Theyre now in their mid-20s.
They love their mom, and she loves them.
We already went through our 20s with stupid choices and shenanigans.
In our 30s, we were happy, healthy, and more mature.”
“I had my daughter at 41.
My patience level is 1000000x better now than in my 20s or 30s.
Im also fairly established in my career and have some (but not a lot) of disposable income.
Never had any extra cash until my 40s.”
So we did foster care intending to adopt a sibling group.
They came to us at five and six years old.
There are many ways to become a family.”
“I had my first at 32.
My wife and I could have had a child earlier, but financially, that would have never worked.
I feel like we had a baby at the perfect time for us.
People say you’re free to never be ready for a baby.
That is just bad advice.
it’s possible for you to totally be ready for a baby.”
Ok-Abbreviations9936
18.
“I became a dad at 41.
I have two kids now.
My wife is a few years younger and was ready.
I would’ve still been procrastinating if it was all on me.
I spent 20 years prior in pubs, socializing, etc.
Now I’ve done all that, and I go to parks and do kid-orientated things.
Also, I’d like my house to be nicer; it’s just covered in toys and laundry.
However, it’s not a massive detractor.
Just go for it whenever you are both ready.”
“I have three kids.
My wife and I are the same age and had them at 35, 38, and 40.
It’s nice being financially stable and able to afford help.
“I had a child in my early 20s and one in my mid-30s.
There are pros and cons to both.
I wish I had the maturity and wisdom in my 20s that I had when my youngest was born.
And I wish I had the same physical energy level for my youngest that I had for my oldest.
The sleep deprivation and breastfeeding schedule, etc., almost killed me in my 30s.”
I lost my father to an accident at 24, and it really hurt.
For better or worse, this is my life and my children’s lives.
I love them so much.
They bring me joy every single day of my life.”
“I (currently 59) had our kids at ages 37 and 39.
I was always able to keep up with them.
“I had a kid when I was 19.
I then remarried years later and had two kids at 42 and 45.
I find the experience far more satisfying on the second round.”
“Im 64, and my kids are 26 and 24.
I have no problems at all with being their mom.
But starting earlier would have allowed them more time with their grandparents and so on through the generations.
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length/clarity.
