To think 41 is v v young for a granny??

[TinfoilHattie]

I'm 44. Recently I have been back in touch with some people I was at school with on Facebook - haven't seen these people for over 20 years, nearer 25 probably. I'm quite surprised at the number who are already grandparents - I saw a picture of a toddler on one of their FB pages, assumed it was their child but no, a grandchild having their third birthday. Granny is the same age as me.

My mum was 27 when she had me and became a grandparent at 58. My inlaws were the same age. My eldest is 14 and I am not expecting to be a granny much before I'm 60, so that's my "normal". Cannot imagine being a granny by 41 and may be a bit unreasonable thinking it's nothing to aspire to?

Totally the norm in my family. My Gran had her first grandchild at 37, my Mum at 36 and my sister at 38. Yes, it's young compared to some families but works well for us and it's lovely to have so many generations at family get togethers.

Wow, judgemental much? If you have a child at 20 and they have a child at 20 that would make you a gran at 40. 20 is not overly young to become a mum?!?

Show it's not an 'implication' - statistically (which as you know is not the same as 'everyone who does x is y') higher incomes have their children later.

I became a (step) grandmother at 31. It does feel weird being called Nanna by a 7 year old but then it shouldn't really matter your age. I can't have any more children myself (well it would be extremely difficult) so I can spoil our grandson.

Yes it is Looney. In the real world 20 is very young.

It depends on a lot of things. "Back in my day" (when I was 20/21), a lot of my friends were married and pregnant at 21, it was normal (or at least uncommon in the early/mid 80's) and this was a fairly well off area. So not unexpected that 20 years on, it happened again in the family. These days (I think), we are shocked almost at young couples who are married and pregnant under 25). My niece was pregnant and married at 20, now has three and is still under 28.

"And then it gets into the whole debate of whether children of 16 getting pregnant and their children repeating the cycle is what our society wants" sorry, is your name Mary Whitehouse? What an incredibly judgemental and snobby post. What is it OP that threatens you so much about younger Grandparents?

See by me it's not young, really, certainly not remarkably so.

My mum had me at 23. If id have had my dd at 18 then she would have been 41. I waited til 26 so she was 49. Still relatively young.

My mum was 41 when my son was born
Shes now 52 with 4 grankids!

I was pregnant with my first at the same time as DH's auntie. So when his mum was 44, she became a Nanna and her younger sister who was 41 became a mum. Suppose it's each to their own

I'm 41 & no hurry to be a grandmother - so from that point of view YANBU.

I do know two or three grandparents around my age, but no more than that. I'd say I know more people having their first child at 40 than their first grandchild.

My sister became a grandparent 38 and her DH was 39. Obviously the were very young becoming parents themselves but they have successful careers and a long happy marriage. Their DD is traveling the same path. While becoming a grandparent is not my personal aspiration if I am fortunate to have grandchildren in the future I will be as proud and happy as any grandparent.

From the ONS: The average age of first time mothers was 28.5 years in 2014, compared with 28.3 years in 2013

So 20 is young. If the average age of a first time mum is 28.5, the average age of a granny must be late 50s as the age we've been having children has been rising for years.

So I stick to my point that a granny in late 30s or v early 40s is very young.

I remember a girl at school who fulfilled her ambition to get married on her 16th birthday like her mother and grandmother, all three had their first babies at 16 too, so great grandmother was 48.

It is young but this post comes across as a little judgemental? I'm sure if you did have a grandchild they would be all over fb too, you're going to be proud as that's your grandchild?
My mum had me at 23 and then I had my DD at 19. Yes it's young but I left home at 17, got five A levels and went straight into a job paying 50k so was financially stable enough to have a child. Lots of people assume I'm on benefits and should be ashamed of my child? My mother is very proud to be a grandmother and I think yabu.

I'm a granny.
I became one at 36.
I had my first child at 16.
I wouldn't wish having a child so young on anyone.
I was far, far too young.

My grandkids are 6 and 7 now but I can't give them as much time as I'd like due to still having 2 teens at home and a job.

My mum had me at 20. I had DS last year at 28.

Mum was 48 when she became a grandma... but clutch your pearls here... she was two whole years younger than DP who is the father.

Yep. My mother is 2 years younger than my partner. And a grandmother in her 40s.

I have a first class degree with hons, speak 2 languages, and a successful media career though- so maybe we can swerve Jeremy Kyle for the minute ....

I know I'm old enough to be a gran, my kids are 16 and 18. However, should they accidentally become parents themselves now, I wouldn't be able to help them with child care etc, as I need to work full time. My parents were older and were able to help us, which saved is a fortune.

Practical as ever me

Well, yes, Tinfoil but I don't think many women actually have a child at 28, interestingly.

Most are way above or way below. And they tend to belong to two distinct social groups. In one social group it's so young as to be practically a child. In the other it's about normal.

DH and I made our mums, nans at 34 and 37. They had us at 17 and 20. They were both married at the time of our births.

We've been together for nearly 18 years, married for 8. We are very happy and have no regrets.

My children have great-grandparents who are in their 70's. They are very lucky.

By the time I am 48 I will have 5 adult children. (Touch wood)

My mum was 58 when she became a grandmother, DHs mum was 36! At 69 now she has a great grand child age 11.

I also don't think it's "snobby" to point out that a 16 year old with no financial means having babies isn't exactly ideal.

Late forties, early fifties is the norm among my family friends for becoming grandparents. But we have lots of friends through church and that has its own culture. When you only want to have sex in marriage it means that you are more likely to marry young and then feel stable enough to have children in your early to mid twenties.

Not saying that is better or worse than any alternative just saying that things like faith can have an impact on what you see as normal.

A boy I was at school with is a Grandad but then he had a child before he was 20. A girl had a baby at 15 so it's possible she's a grandma too but my friends aren't grandparents. I'm 45.