Having children over 50

[James28]

Is it a good idea to have children over the age of 50? I heard of people having children at 65, 74, 81. The record for the oldest father goes to a 90 year old in India and a 70-year old, also from India, has the record for oldest mother.

Generally, if I were to have children when I am over 65, I would have a limited mount of time left, I would not be able to see the child graduate high school, go to college, or even choosing him to succeed me in being the head of a family-run business. The best time to have a child is between the ages of 18 (or 23) and 50.

[ponytail]

You would have to have a lot of patience. Seems the older you get, kids get on your nerves more often. Plus you would be too tired to run them around to school events or whatever. To me it would be too hectic.

[Stuck In The '70's]

My parents were not quite there. My Mom was 44 and my Dad was 46 when my youngest sister was born. Yes it would be very hard but again it's none of my business.

[James28]

You keep saying that it's none of your business, that was the cause of my storyline headache and I don't want tyo hear it anymore.

[Stuck In The '70's]

It's better to have children when you are younger of course. The older you get, the harder it is to keep up with them. I know my Mom wasn't even able to attend my youngest sister's HS graduation. And of course you will have more time with them as well. Saying that, ( and I'm sorry if I give you a headache lol) it still is none of my business. Being an older parent doesn't mean you love your kids any less.

[sunshinefizzy]

I think everything happens for a reason. I think people who had children when they were 20 were meant to have them at a young age and if you have a child at 50 you were just meant to have them then too. As long as you accept the responsibilities that come with child rearing and have an ability to go for it, by all means do it.

[Stuck In The '70's]

I think everything happens for a reason. I think people who had children when they were 20 were meant to have them at a young age and if you have a child at 50 you were just meant to have them then too. As long as you accept the responsibilities that come with child rearing and have an ability to go for it, by all means do it.
exactly. And I would rather have an older parent who is responsible and takes care of their children then a 20 year old who doesn't.

[robyrob]

i think that if your children live to be over 50 then you should keep them, its just not right to discriminate against them for getting old.

[dakert]

i think that if your children live to be over 50 then you should keep them, its just not right to discriminate against them for getting old.
:lol:

I think people should have kids when they are Mature and Healthy enough to have and take care of them.

[HuntingtonM15]

i think that if your children live to be over 50 then you should keep them, its just not right to discriminate against them for getting old.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Dragonflies]

I wouldn't personally. I think it's not fair to the child, cause anything can happen if you're older than 60 and you won't be there to watch them grow up.

40's maybe, but older than 50? Nope

[comedyfreak]

I voted no it's no fair to the child. I'm a product of older parents and they are both gone and I'm alone. My Dad died when I was 18. I grew up being asked if they were my Grandparents it was quite annoying. My Dad was 48 when I was born and my Mom was 39. I'm now 47 and don't have kids and don't plan on it now.

[Penny Lane]

First of all it can be dangerous for the baby and the mother having a child past 40. The risk of Down's Syndrome and Autism is greatly increased. This should definitely be considered. Personally I am glad that I had both of my kids before age 25. I had my first grandchild at 40. I was able to really enjoy my grandkids.
I really don't think that having a child past age 45 is a good idea. But if this is a woman's only chance to conceive I guess the risk would be worth it. But again the parents should be warned of the risks first.

[Pitooey]

NO NO NO

My husband and I are both tired and haven't had a vacation in years.

We will both look like my 13 yr. old daughter's grandparents when she graduates from High school.

We are both dealing with a rebellous child and we're pulling our hair out.

Have children in your late 20's

[Retro4Life]

Well, my mother was 37 when I was born and my father was 45. They both left me early (Dad when I was 27 and Mom when I was 40) but I can tell you this; they both left me with something very, very real and lasting. As Martin Luther King once said, "longevity has it's place" but for me, the legacy of love and values they left me with far outweighs any other factor.

You can't really make some sort of hard and fast rules governing matters that MUST always remain under the province of individual choice. It's all situational; some older parent situations are good and others aren't. Some 25 year old parents are great and others are horrible. Ultimately I'd say it's not the amount of time you spend with your loved ones, it's the quality and depth of the time you do spend. Sure it'd be ideal to have both, but this is far from an ideal world.

[Liza]

There's no "right" or "wrong" age to have children. This really shouldn't be a yes-or-no question.

And no one knows how long they're going to live, anything can happen. Charlie Chaplin lived long enough to see his eldest daughter become a successful actress, and my darling cousin Chris (who just passed away 3 weeks ago) was 37 and left behind a 2-year-old son.

[Liza]

By the way, John Travolta is 56 and expecting his third child. And I think everyone was sincerely happy to hear the news after he and Kelly lost their son last year.

[catlover79]

There's no "right" or "wrong" age to have children. This really shouldn't be a yes-or-no question.

And no one knows how long they're going to live, anything can happen. Charlie Chaplin lived long enough to see his eldest daughter become a successful actress, and my darling cousin Chris (who just passed away 3 weeks ago) was 37 and left behind a 2-year-old son.
I'm so sorry to hear about your cousin, Emily. :bighug: But yes, you are right about John Travolta and Charlie Chaplin. Charlie's last child indeed was born when he was 73 and it inspired one of my all time fave movie quotes, from one of my all-time fave movies:

Sally: He just met her... She's supposed to be his transitional person, she's not supposed to be the ONE. All this time I thought he didn't want to get married. But, the truth is, he didn't want to marry me. He didn't love me.
Harry: If you could take him back now, would you?
Sally: No. But why didn't he want to marry me? What's the matter with me?
Harry: Nothing.
Sally: I'm difficult.
Harry: You're challenging.
Sally: I'm too structured, I'm completely closed off.
Harry: But in a good way.
Sally: No, no, no, I drove him away. AND, I'm gonna be forty.
Harry: When?
Sally: Someday.
Harry: In eight years.
Sally: But it's there. It's just sitting there, like some big dead end. And it's not the same for men. Charlie Chaplin had babies when he was 73.
Harry: Yeah, but he was too old to pick them up.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Liza]

I'm so sorry to hear about your cousin, Emily. :bighug: But yes, you are right about John Travolta and Charlie Chaplin. Charlie's last child indeed was born when he was 73 and it inspired one of my all time fave movie quotes, from one of my all-time fave movies:

Sally: He just met her... She's supposed to be his transitional person, she's not supposed to be the ONE. All this time I thought he didn't want to get married. But, the truth is, he didn't want to marry me. He didn't love me.
Harry: If you could take him back now, would you?
Sally: No. But why didn't he want to marry me? What's the matter with me?
Harry: Nothing.
Sally: I'm difficult.
Harry: You're challenging.
Sally: I'm too structured, I'm completely closed off.
Harry: But in a good way.
Sally: No, no, no, I drove him away. AND, I'm gonna be forty.
Harry: When?
Sally: Someday.
Harry: In eight years.
Sally: But it's there. It's just sitting there, like some big dead end. And it's not the same for men. Charlie Chaplin had babies when he was 73.
Harry: Yeah, but he was too old to pick them up.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Thank you so much, Monika. For both the support, and the quote from one of my fave movies. My Chris was a wonderful person. He left us far too young. But his wife and son will always remember him. I take comfort in that.

[catlover79]

Thank you so much, Monika. For both the support, and the quote from one of my fave movies. My Chris was a wonderful person. He left us far too young. But his wife and son will always remember him. I take comfort in that.
My uncle died 3 weeks ago, too - so it's just awful. When is the Travolta baby due?

[Liza]

My uncle died 3 weeks ago, too - so it's just awful. When is the Travolta baby due?

:heart: My love to you, Monika. It's just been a hard summer.

I think Kelly's baby is due in November. For some reason I hope they have a girl.

[catlover79]

I really don't think having children naturally over 50 is really fair to the kid, but I don't see anything wrong with taking in foster kids or young relatives, etc.