First time granny age rising?

[Justkeepingplatesspinning]

The thread about what we perceive as elderly got me thinking. I wouldn't have described my gran as elderly, whereas my mother definitely was when she became a granny.
I worked out that my granny was 48 when I was born. My mother was 65 when she became a granny, so almost 20 years older than her mother had been.
To my horror, I then realised that I'm now older by some way than my granny was when I was born.
Is there a big difference in how old your mother and granny were when they became grandparents? If you're a grandparent, were you older or younger than your mother was?

My mum didn’t get there til 70. Some of her friends are still waiting.

This comment has really resonated. I don't think we've seen the full impact of having children older yet. If you put that alongside people in their 20s and 30s now who are possibly putting off starting a family because of cost of living, taking longer to save house deposit, precarity of renting etc, in 20 years time the average age to become a first time parent and in turn grandparent may well have gone up again. Quiet, unnoticed, changes that could have a big impact on society.

That's a good point. Similar with us.
My mother had 17 in her generation including cousins. There are 4 of us in my generation including cousins. In the generation below, one child who has neither sibling or cousin.

I don't know, it would make sense with the impact of the war.

It’s the other way around in my family, but I would say less to do with actual age and more to do with trends and how people dress.

My nan was 65 when I was born, and she was an “old lady”. She dressed like an old lady, had short, thinning curly grey hair, she was, well…an old lady! I look at old photos from when I’m a child with her and she looks like what 80 year old women look like now 🤣 but I think that was just more the style back then?

Im 36 now and pregnant with my first. My mum is 61 so similar age to my Nan was when I was born. But my mum looks, acts and dresses NOTHING like the way my Nan did at that age. Mum wears her cropped jeans and trainers, floral midi dresses with trainers, is very active, works, goes to Pilates and aerobics, and is always out and about doing things with friends. Her hair is mid length and brown, and she just doesn’t look like an old lady at all the way my Nan did, 30 years ago, at that age!

My MIL was 36 when she became a grandmother, and my Mum was 49 . Both from their other children not through me though. I was 60 with my first grandchild and I still work full time but I have her over for sleepovers quite frequently and from morning till night I’m playing and entertaining her I’m 65 and I do more with her than what my dear mum did with mine as I’m way more active in general. No old grandmother here .

I was 53 when I had my first grandchild. My mum was 52 when she had her first grandchild, so no change in our family.

Also people often having false teeth as my dgps did and perhaps life was harder with coal fires and not as many mod cons and clothing as you said

saying that dgm looked quite youthful

It’s not that unique to have children younger than your grandchildren. Several friends and acquaintances including both my exes have children younger than their grandchildren.

my friend daughter is in the same class as her granddaughter.

my ds dd is a year older than her half uncle (ds little brother)

I was 41 when I became a grandmother for the first time.

my mum was 45

My mind is completely blown by grandparents being in their 30’s. I’ve never come across them. My grandparents were in their 60’s when I was born and my parents were in their mid 50’s when their first grandchild was born. I can’t see myself being less than 60 at the earliest

I became a Mum at 24 and have just become a Nan at 57. My Mum was 24 when she had me and became a Nan at 49.

My mum's mum became a grandmother at 59, my mum became a grandmother at 69. If my dc waits as long as I did, I'll be 89.

I worked with someone who was 33, same age as me, they'd had their first baby at 16, that baby then had their own baby also at 16. It blew my mind too that someone my age was a granny.

My mum was 58 when she became a gran. My gran was 54 (just, I was born the day after her birthday) however when I turn 50 my oldest will be 18. So I don't see me becoming a gran before I'm in my 60s.

And to add to the young grandparents my friend became a gran at 37. And another at 38. Infact the 2nd one now has 2 grandchildren. We all turned 40 last year. And I'm sure there are others.

There is one sad story though as a girl at school had a baby at 15 however she died before any grandchildren appeared even though she was a young mum. Think she was 37 when she died.

Both my granny and mum were 40 when they became grandmothers, having noth jad their first child age 20.

In the same pattern, I'm due to become one in two years!! However it looks very unlikely that my children will have their own so young.