to wonder why there's no bosom-hoiking at Simon Cowell becoming a dad at the age of 53

[Newcupboards]

because if a 50 year old woman were to be pregnant MNetters would be lining up to cry "too old!" "selfish!".

My Dad was 55 when his wife had a baby. He was 19 when I was born.
I think he's been a much better father this time round.
Simon Cowell may find this a bit of a life changer but good luck to him and his girlfriend..(slightly inconvenient that she's married to a mate of his at the mo though)

Most older men that have children do so with younger women. Most older women that have children do so with men their own age.

I may be wrong but if I were to feel judgemental about a woman having a baby at 53, my concern would be the physical health of the baby.

If the woman was adopting and their wasn't a physical risk, I would have no concern about her age.

I dont judge the age of the father, but I do judge the fact she was/is someone else's wife and the child is probably an oops so the poor thing will be the product of a sleazy affair.

I agree about desperately trying to prove he is hetero. He has always been very generous with his exes to shut them up to smooth the break ups.

I think you overestimate the number of fucks most people could give.

AnnabelleLee - did you just want an opportunity to swear?

I wouldn't judge a woman over 50 having a baby and I don't judge Cowell either, except over his hair and high trousers.

noones business but the parents.

Biologically a man can father at 50+
A woman can't unless she is still fertile or has ivf.
Not rocket science op.
So yes it is selfish for a 50+ yo woman to have a baby.

i dont think anyone cares enough to hoik anything up tbh .

As if I fucking need one.

My theory is that she agreed to be a surrogate for him, her husband is probably on board with it.

countingmyblessings - your post doesn't make sense. If an infertile woman of 30 becomes pregnant by ivf then she's not selfish but if a fertile woman of 50 becomes pregnant then she is selfish? And it's ok for a man to become a father at any age, just because he can?

The usual objections to an older woman having a child are that she will be too old to run around after a toddler or cope with a teen but this logic doesn't seem to apply to older dads

Des oconnor became a father at 75!
www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-483829/Des-OConnor-weds-fourth-wife-17-year-romance.html

I'm more concerned that this marks the coming of the Anti-Christ...fuck the age issue

Well I doubt he'll be doing a lot of hands-on parenting to be honest. I thought he'd always made it clear he didn't want children?

Who's Simon Cowell and who cares what he does?

New:

There is scientific evidence that shows the quality of sperm decreases with age.

IMO women who have IVF when they are post menopause are mad.
The woman farmer from S Wales who had an IVF baby at age 62 has said she underestimated how exhausted she would be.

There is a reason why we become infertile in old age.

BTY I speak as a fit and healthy 60 year old.

OP My late DH was 61 when I gave birth to my ds2! I don't have any views re SC............... Have a from me!

Nature assumes we are all still living in caves in communal groups and that it's the females that raise the young while the men roam about spreading their genes.

Which is why nature has put a limit on female reproductive years, and not men. So that the kids aren't left without care.

So sad, given that our society now rightly pushes for women to compete with men in the workplace and life generally, waiting till later to start trying for a family perhaps, to find out they're nearly out of time by the time they're 38! TTC for five years or so and suddenly the woman is in her 40's and by then eyebrows are starting to be raised about even thinking of having kids.

It's a cruel blow.

It shouldn't matter. But it does.

Why?

Because the likelihood, even in 2013, of the man being the one to get up at 3am with the baby is very small, based on my friends and their partners.

Yes, anecdote does not equal data.

But it is, in fact, a man's world.

Let's hope he's more committed to fatherhood than engagement.

I do quite like a 'why is there not more outrage' thread being met with even more [meh]