So how old is too old to be a FATHER?

[Nymphadora]

Following on from here also the issue I have of wanting more kids and being with a bloke who is quite a bit older than me .

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How old is he? Dh will be 50 next year and dc2 is due in February.

It's certainly not discussed as often. I don't know .... dh had his first child at 25 and his last child (mine) at 46.

My great uncle is late 60s and has a 7yr old son. He loves it because hes retired now he gets to be a SAHD. He has a much older family and grandchildren as well (older than his youngest son!) but he says its great.

It depends how he feels not everyone else

Well, never obviously. A LOT of men don't get that involved at the baby stage so that wouldn't be a problem. He might be a bit knackered for footballing at a later stage though!

I think it's quite unfair on the child though, knowing their dad isn't going to be around that long (if he's say in his 60's when the baby is born). I'm sure the family don't see that way, they'll just love each other, I'm just judging

45 and would be his first child.Its fairly early in our relationship too though we have talked about having kids this does seem to be one of his concerns

If it's the last thing they do...! Dh was in his 30s when he had his 1st child. He was 58 when his current youngest (now 1) was born. I know someone who's father was 80 when his youngest was born. Keep it coming!!

Interesting question. I have no idea.

My dh's step-father had his kids when he was in his late fifties.

Nearly 40 years on, he's still here! He has two grandchildren of his own as well as step-grandchild, my ds.

Charlie Chaplin had a kid when he was 80.

I read about a 90 year old man having his 21st child in the paper. He is going to keep having children until he is 100 . Dont think he'll be around to see his kids grow up!!

I don't know. For me, I think it is when the chance of you not living to see the child grow up is greater than the chance that you will!

Anyone can have an accident, or get ill, but when you add dying of old age to it, tips the balance.

I just don't think it is fair to bring a child into the world when it is very very likely you will be leaving it on the next boat.

My Dh is 53 and our child is 10 months. He's far healthier than me though (33) and will probably outlive the bloody lot of us (his mum 82 still works several days a week in a charity shop).

We've also worked really hard and now are semiretired so we get to spend time with our little girl - which you couldn't do if you were younger, so I think it's swings and roundabouts.

MTPW thats sort of where I come from also there is the issue of whether you are fit enough too (suppose that depends on the person)

My dad was 50 when I was born and died when I was 18. There were good and bad thing about it such as he retired when we were still at home so was around a lot and he seemed more knowledgable than a lot of other dads, but he was really unfit and didn't do a lot of physical stuff. Obviously its not nice that he is dead but we had a good time when he was alive and I wouldn't have changed him for a younger model. The alternative of not being born at all seems ridiculous to me.

dh just had his fifith child overall and third child with me at the age of 47 and I'm not sure it's our last

dh is 44, dd is 15mths. he has absolutely no issues being older, only positives.

a good friend of ours is 44yrs. his father is 96yrs and still in great health!

its all about your outlook and frame of mind.

Should add that my dad died relatively young. if he died at an average age then I would have been nearer 25 so would have had him for about a third of my life. I would hate to think that my parents might have decided not to have me because it would be painful for me when he died. Its difficult to loose a parent at any age but not being born to avoid that pain is a bit extreeme imo.

My dad had my eldest brother at 27 and me at 64, living to be 81.

Dh has become more unfit since more babies arrived. He spends a lot of time with them, and frankly it's brilliant. His older kids are very good about it. It really isn't an age thing. If he's still able to have sex, he can have children!