Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

What age did you all get Married and have kids etc?

157 replies

GenuineMan90 · 01/08/2022 13:19

I'm a 32 year old man and me and my partner (32) are feeling a bit behind in life, in that we haven't had the chance to get even engaged yet and/or have children yet.

So I was wondering, what age did you get to have these thing's in life?

OP posts:
Racingadmin · 01/08/2022 14:20

Met at 17
Married at 22
Ds at 23, dd at 25

One of my best friends who I met at antenatal classes when expecting ds

Met at 30
Married at 35
Ds at 40

I had more energy , she had more patience

TalkingToMyselfAgain · 01/08/2022 14:21

Met my husband when I was 18, he was 19
Engaged 5 months later
Started living together on his 21st birthday!
Got married a year later
Had Son1 14 months after that
Son2 about 2 1/2 years later (I was almost 25)

I'm now 63, DH 64. Still married (42 years). Son1 was 41 yesterday. Son2 is 38

AppleBottomRats · 01/08/2022 14:22

I’m 27 and haven’t got married or had kids yet. But I have been with my partner since I was 20 and we bought our house at 24.

I think you are a normal age to start getting married and having kids. I only know 5 couples my age who have got married (massively outnumbered by single people) and 2 split up less than a year after the wedding. Getting married younger than late 20s is quite young I think.

stuffnthings · 01/08/2022 14:22

Met at 17, married at 30, DD1 34, DD2 36.

Mischance · 01/08/2022 14:22

Met 19; married 21; babies at 26, 28 and 34.

stuffnthings · 01/08/2022 14:22

to add, currently I'm 44.

Suprima · 01/08/2022 14:23

GenuineMan90 · 01/08/2022 13:19

I'm a 32 year old man and me and my partner (32) are feeling a bit behind in life, in that we haven't had the chance to get even engaged yet and/or have children yet.

So I was wondering, what age did you get to have these thing's in life?

Had a chance to get engaged?

i don’t get it

if you want to marry her: buy a ring and propose or bring it up over a nice dinner and then go and buy a ring together

i don’t see the problem unless the truth is you actually are ambivalent about the whole thing.

I’m 28 and got engaged, married and had a baby within 2.5 years. I wanted to have my child before 30 and luckily my husband wanted the same things as me.

but yeah still not getting why you haven’t had ‘the chance’ to get engaged

imnotthatkindofmum · 01/08/2022 14:23

Met at 10 (that doesn't count really)
Got together at 24
Married 1.5 yrs later at 26
First child at 29
Second at 31
Third at 36.

I was younger than many of my friends when I started having kids. A lot if then we're over 30.

IceStationZebra · 01/08/2022 14:23

Met 25, married 32, baby 35

Hadalifeonce · 01/08/2022 14:24

Met at 40, first at 42, second at 45. Still loads of time left at 32.

TiredInPerpetuity · 01/08/2022 14:24

Met at 19
Engaged at 24
Married at 26
Baby 1 at 32
Baby 2 at 36

It's all so dependent on what you've got going on with your career and your home etc. People expected that we'd have babies as soon as we got married but we were really focussed on work and moved around a lot for opportunities then so it wasn't on our radar.

Just do what works for you, you can't be "behind" when you're working on a schedule that's specific to you

LesOliviers · 01/08/2022 14:27

We met at 28/29, moved in at 30/31, engaged at 30/31, married at 31/32, bought a house at 32/33 and had our daughter at 33/34.

PortalooSunset · 01/08/2022 14:28

Met 20, married 21, dc1 at 27, dc2 at 33.

Changes17 · 01/08/2022 14:28

Met at 26, married at 33, DC1 37 DC2 41. Saw a lot of the world first. Has worked for us - there's no rush!

brownbeauty80 · 01/08/2022 14:42

Met me 18 him 22
Married 18 n 22
First kid 22 n 26
Second kid 25 29
Now at 42 n 46
Feels like a lifetime already..!!

DreamingofItaly2023 · 01/08/2022 14:46

Met 22 (me) and 20 (DH)
Engaged 24 (me) and 21 (DH)
Married 25 (me) and 22 (DH)
Had DS 27 (me) and 24 (DH)
Bought a house 28 (me) and 26 (DH)

Will be celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary this year and excitedly starting to plan our 10th :)

Indoctro · 01/08/2022 14:47

Me at 30
Married at 32
1st child 34
2nd child 36

He is 2 years older than me.

siblingrevelryagain · 01/08/2022 14:49

For context, ex-husband is a year older than me

Met age 21
Married age 29
Children age 31, 32, 36

Separated age 39 😥

JorisBonson · 01/08/2022 14:50

First marriage at 26 (bad idea), current marriage at 35. Childfree by choice.

JorisBonson · 01/08/2022 14:50

JorisBonson · 01/08/2022 14:50

First marriage at 26 (bad idea), current marriage at 35. Childfree by choice.

And I was 30 when we met, he was 32.

HaveringWavering · 01/08/2022 14:51

Met at 37 (me) and 32 (him).

Engaged when I was 39, married when I was 40, son born when I was 42.

Glad I waited for him.

What do you mean you "haven't had the chance to get engaged" OP? What's stopping you?

By the way my social group is mostly university-educated and few got married before 31/32.

ChristmasJumpers · 01/08/2022 14:54

Met 18 & 21
Married 22 & 25
TTC since 25 & 28
Currently 28 & 31 and pregnant via IVF

cantcomplainabouttheweather · 01/08/2022 14:55

It's not really relevant what anyone else has done

What's relevant is
A) why you haven't got married yet
B) do you want children

It's scientifically proven fertility declines mid 30s onwards

jellybe · 01/08/2022 15:00

Meet at 19, married at 21 first child at 24.

RamblingEclectic · 01/08/2022 15:01

Engaged at 18+19 after a couple years. Eloped at 18+19. Got two pink lines less than two months later and my first was born at 19+20. I was out of the baby/toddler/preschooler phases by 30 when those around me were starting to dive into it so I became the shoulder people worried and vented to while also going out more in my early 30s than I did throughout my entire 20s.

However, we didn't buy a house until 35+37 and I feel so behind and lost when it comes to career. I fell off a previous path after a health collapse and years on of doing bits and pieces of paid and unpaid work, an odd mix of skills and experiences, I still feel like I'm not making much progress or even gotten my feet back under me towards anything that feels like a career to me.