older parent

[chiaralev]

I've noticed there is no sub-section about older parents. I mean people who conceived after 40s. I would like to hear experieces of such parents who now have already teenagers. How is it? Is it harder to follow your teenager child when you are close to your 60ies? How do you cope physically and psycologically? I'm wondering what challenges I'll have to face when my child will be 15 and I close to 60.

PS what is DD and DS? I see these acronyms in all posts.

Dd is (darling/dear daughter and Ds is son.

I'm 48 and one day old! and have a 13yo and a 5yo...so when I'm 60, Dd will turn 18...I'll let you know then!

DD = Darling Daughter

DS = Darling Son

& yes, good idea, be good to hear others experiences - though I'm expecting the wisdom of age to get us through it as it has done for me so far - don't think I would have had half the patience when younger - ours is now 9

I was 39 when DS2 was born and DH was 48.
Now DH is 62 , I am 54 and our boys are 14 and 16.

I'd say that the advantages and disadvantages for having children young or delaying having them, continue in different ways when they are teens.
The physical demands of teenagers are nothing like those of having young children and psychologically I don't know. Don't all teens think their parents are old?

There are many advantages. They have a father who is retired, he is always at home and on hand to drive them here there and everywhere. He has time to help with GCSE / school work. He is patient and wise and tolerant.

The only disadvantages I can think of are that DS2 is uncomfortable with the "what does your dad do" question and we don't do extreme sports with them.

Go look in the teenagers page, you will find older parents there.

We have a thread in chat called Forty Towers. Come on over and join us!

We didn't all conceive after 40 but most of us did. Some of us have teenagers and then small children. Some of us just have small children.

I was 40 when my son was born. I'm 43 now.

My biggest fear is someone thinking I'm Dd's Grandma!!

My biggest fear is someone thinking I'm Dd's Grandma

That worried me too Solo but we are really lucky living where we do, seems a higher proportion of us at the School gates are actually much older Mums & Dads, I still suspect none as old as me, but seems having DD is keeping me young, as the odd time age has come up, the others have been shocked that I',m as old as I am - so perhaps DCs are the ultimate stay young accessory

I have twice been mistaken for ds's granny but then I have friends my age with dgs's ds's age so I just have to get over it.

I'm lucky enough to look young for my years (I'm told!), but I'm by far the oldest Mum at the school gates for reception class anyway.

I have friends younger than me that have grandchildren older than my youngest and my 'mummy friends' from ante and post natal groups are all younger than me; in fact, I could be Mum to a few of them . They don't see me as older than them and they are of the grown up 30 somethings, so it's not so bad really. I just have to keep on colouring out my grey hair .

I'm not an older mum of a teenager but as I am a 42 yo mum to a 3 yo I will be an older mum of a teen one day. What I've noticed is that at my DD's preschool half the mums of 3 year olds are late 30s and early 40s so there will be alot of us older mums of teens around soon.

thanks for your replies, you are right, there are advantages. Just thinking that if I manged too have a second one now, I'm 43, I would be always dozing on the couch when he's 17 and I need to be alert and check what he does and where he goes.

I wonder whether older mums are more likely to be SAHM because I used to think there were lots of older mums at the school gate when mine were little. When your kids are teens you no longer see the other mums as they go to school on their own.
I go to parents evening and think I am easily old enough to be the teachers mum.

Chai I had my first naturally at 42, she's now 9 & even with health problems that came later I manage - I think another good think about age, you've learned to trust your instincts more - DD can't get ANYTHING past me, or DH either for that matter, so much so she thinks I'm psychic

Secret you could have a point there, but I suspect its more down to older parents being more established in their chosen careers & financially more secure, also those of us that have DCs so late were often career minded over family minded IYSWIM - thats seems to be the case at DDs school & certainly was with me, though health problems meant I had to give up the full time career job, DH was a SAHD, as we could afford to do that, so if I hadn't of become ill, DD would still have one of us at the School gates