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I sure would like to hear from men in their mid 50s +/- in age who might have been faced with their spouse talking about having a baby at this late age.
This is not about the woman, she is younger and within safe child bearing years. This is for the men who have to help bring up a baby when retirement is supposed to be 10 years or less away.
How can anyone justify wanting to be into their early 70s when the kid is graduating school? These types of questions can go on and on.
I'm 50 and I have a four year old - that's sort of close - and I would like more kids, the wife is 42 but she is ready to have a nervous breakdown with our other 8, 10, and 12 year olds too.
I sure would like to hear from men in their mid 50s +/- in age who might have been faced with their spouse talking about having a baby at this late age.
This is not about the woman, she is younger and within safe child bearing years. This is for the men who have to help bring up a baby when retirement is supposed to be 10 years or less away.
How can anyone justify wanting to be into their early 70s when the kid is graduating school? These types of questions can go on and on.
Your sentiments on this?
I wouldn't do it or recommend anyone else do it, for several reasons.
Number one reason is that research is beginning to show that our epidemic of autism is due in part to older fathers.
We've known for a long time that rates of Down's Syndrome skyrocket in women over 40, but now to know that older fathers give us more autistic children seems to show the human body was just not meant to procreate after a certain point.
So for me, THAT is reason enough not to do it.
Then of course you've got all the social ramifications.
And I just don't think it's fair to a child to purposely give him/her older parents they'll have to tend to and deal with when they are still so young themselves.
After all, it's tough enough for those of us in our 40's, 50's and 60's to deal with aging parents and all their issues. But to saddle a 20 year old with all that? That's just not good planning.
We've known for a long time that rates of Down's Syndrome skyrocket in women over 40, but now to know that older fathers give us more autistic children seems to show the human body was just not meant to procreate after a certain point.
Skyrocket from one in 69 thousand to one in 50 thousand?
If our bodies weren't meant to procreate past a certain point then we wouldn't be able to procreate past a certain point.
Men having children over the age of 40 greatly increases the child's risk of having mental illness, a study says. I don't know how true that is, but it IS something to think about.
I just read quite a few studies that confirm and deny everything you're all saying about the health effects. So like in politics, no one is right and no one is wrong, just a bunch of studies that prove each other wrong.
Aside from any health risk issues. I want to hear from fathers who actually had a baby come into their lives after 50. Is there anyone out there in their 60s with a 10 YO in the house?
I just read quite a few studies that confirm and deny everything you're all saying about the health effects. So like in politics, no one is right and no one is wrong, just a bunch of studies that prove each other wrong.
Aside from any health risk issues. I want to hear from fathers who actually had a baby come into their lives after 50. Is there anyone out there in their 60s with a 10 YO in the house?
Not trying to argue with you my friend, but the evidence about older fathers and their impact on Autism and Down's Syndrome is pretty standard stuff.
Of course, just because odds are increased doesn't mean EVERY older father will have a child with mental or physical issues.
To answer your other question...my father had a son when he was almost 50. That "kid" (30 now) is the apple of his eye and the one he simply can't spend enough time with
Maybe you should ask on the retirement forum. I haven't known anyone who had a child that late, but I have known grandparents who were forced to raise their grandkids. There must be a few of those around here, at least.
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