To discuss the societal impacts of older parents?

[Kindersurprising]

I feel like this is a really under-discussed area, particularly as it’s now really extremely common (particularly in middle class circles) to have a first baby after 30 and in many cases 35+.

I feel like in 20 years we are going to see quite a big impact, in adults having fewer (if any) siblings due to parental age, caring for elderly parents while having small children themselves, a lack of grandparent support and I guess a smaller family circle much earlier on. I only realised today that it will be vanishingly rare for kids to have great grandparents soon - my DC have only one, through me.

The positives are often cited as more money, and more life experience.

I was 30 when DC2 was born, so somewhere in the middle and not a young parent as such. I often wonder what it would be like to have had them earlier.

How do you think this will play out in the next 20-50 years?

I think you should tread very carefully on that topic.

Millions is hyperbolic, but among my peers the vast majority waited to own their own house and be at a senior level in their career.

I'm not saying everyone waited to have a 1.5M house, we're 42 and had made partner in a magic circle firm, but they were in their first owned home and were established in their professions.

For the most part they were 34-37 having their first

I didn't have any great grandparents when I was born in the 80s as the eldest child in my family.
I think as people live longer and especially with longer healthy lives, some of the differences are mitigated. My kids have one great grandparent and 4 grandparents and they were born when I was 32 and 36. My own parents are in way better health than my grandparents, who seemed so much more elderly in their mid sixties than my mum and dad do.

I fully expected accusations of disingenuity as this is a sensitive topic, and they always attract such accusations

Interesting but completely predictable that you replied to that post but ignored all my others...

Do you start these threads often then?

They weren’t very inspiring, a few words at most.

I also read somewhere that female cancers (breast, womb etc) are rising due to the increase in oestrogen in women who haven’t experienced a pregnancy by 40, or have less pregnancies.

Can you link to this evidence?

With respect, I don't think you can have read the myriad of comments from children of older parents on here on the numerous threads to have gone before.

There really ate loads, for the hood and bad.

I'm sorry your experience was negative.

My DM had me and my sibling in her early 20s. All my grandparents had passed by the time I was 12 and I never met my great grandparents. I had no help from anyone when my dcs were born. My DPs emigrated when I was 20 and my in-laws live too far away.

To compare I had my dcs in my 40s. They have all 4 grandparents alive at older than I was when mine had all gone, my eldest met a great grandparent. I have no plans to emigrate when they are 20 and will help them as much as possible.

It is possible that I will be decrepit when they have young families but I don't expect or want them to care for me. I have funds for care. What they have had from me is my time and my love and they will always have that. As a child of young parents who were too busy wanting to live their lives and regarded their dcs as a bit of an inconvenience I think there are upsides to having older parents who have lived a bit first and are happy to enjoy parenthood rather than resent it
*disclaimer: not everyone's experience is the same.

So what? My grandmother had her last child (last of 10) aged 52, this was common before reliable contraception.

They weren’t very inspiring, a few words at most.

They weren't meant to be inspiring, they were just challenging your posts.

I ask again when were you born that 25 was the average age of a FTM?

It’s all online, scattered across different studies. Have a look.

It’s been well known that prolonged exposures to oestrogen can increase risk of breast cancer. Early menarche,
late menopause, starting a family later in life, fewer pregnancies etc. this isn’t new research.

In fairness to the OP, and although I think these types of threads are unhelpful for the reasons I already posted, I can see how only having one grandparent alive for her children could be a key factor for her. All of our children’s grandparents are alive and in very good health. Perhaps I would think about the issue differently if my parents had passed away. I still think the OP is BU, but maybe that explains why this is something she wants to chat about on mumsnet.

1990 - all my friends parents were a similar age to mine, my mum was 25 when I was born. My dad considered himself an ‘older dad’ as he was 32 and a little bit older than my mum!

I said they have 1 great grandparent.

But- we all live much longer now and enjoy better health for a longer period, so those comparisons aren’t like for like with today’s world.

I want to think the best of you, I really do but you spout crap constantly.

I'm in my 40s, and have never known 25 to be the norm of having a first child.

I haven't read the whole thread yet, but have you acknowledged any advantages to a family with older parents?

What do you propose should happen then?

Ah, in that case I am not sure where you are coming from and am back to my assumption that this is a bit goady.

It's mainly a middle class problem. I know a few great grandmothers in their 50s.

A few issues with your points.

• Plenty of older parents have more then one child
• Some need to care for their parents regardless of age. My Granparents needed zero care their whole lives.
• You actually have more grandparent support because they've actually been able to retire. My mum who had me young provides very little support due to working full time .
• It's always been rare to not have great grandparents because people never used to live as long. My parents were very young when I was born ... never had any living great grandparents.

Goady indeed.

The op has spouted a load of untruths such as that the negatives of oldernparents have never been discussed on mumsnet before, the average age of a first time parent ten years ago was 25, no willingness to acknowledge or discuss any advantages to being an older parent.

It's swings and roundabouts like everything, and the fact this same thread comes up every 3 or 4 days feels very goady indeed.

But- we all live much longer now and enjoy better health for a longer period, s

Unfortunately I don't think healthy life expectancy hasn't changed much since then.

It’s all online, scattered across different studies. Have a look.

Right...