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My first child was born when I was 24 my second at 27. I am 53 now and love it. I now have two grandkids and wouldn't trade any of it for the world.
I have a blast with my grown kids as I have hit the stage where I am a mother and will always be but I do not have to mother. I love my relationship with my kids.
I also still have the energy to still go places with my husband and have a great time with plenty of energy.
IMO there is also nothing wrong with parents who have their children in their late 30's and 40's.......it's all about the love.
Noone should be forced at any age to decide because of their age.
We had ours at 24. I like the fact that it will be back to the two of us when we're 42. If I could do it over again, I might have our daughter when we were younger, but definitely not older.
Well, it all depends on the person. I have 3 sisters and we're all different. I've been working with kids since I was 14 through church and so by the time I got married at 24, I was prepared for motherhood. I was also independant and responsible enough for it. I had my first at 26 and my second at 27. Now I'm 36 and a very young mom which is great for keeping up with their busy lives. Their friends always tell them how 'cool' I am. I don't see any other moms physically playing with their kids. They're usually on the side, chatting and sipping their Starbucks.
My sisters, on the other hand were not as prepared. They had never been around children, never worked before they were married, so they weren't very responsible. So, when they had kids, it was a bit more difficult. My mom had to help them out a lot.
So maybe it's not the age, but the person that determines the readiness to have kids. Unfortunately, that's a prerequisite I wish more would consider.
Not to mention how easily bodies bounce back in our youth, and you can claim MILF status (if that tickles your fancy). I love nothing more when I hear "You don't look like you've had a child!". *grin*
We had ours at 23 and 25 despite having shrunken brains. It was a purposeful decision and at nearly 40 now we wouldn't have done it any differently. The current crop of younger folks seem generally less mature and I agree that many of them are better off waiting until they are older to have their kids, some still live with their own parents at the ages we had our kids. Maturity is better factor to consider than age. Below is a perfect example.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JonathanLB
Anyone under 25 having kids is just truly "babies having babies." I mean come on, I'm 26, I know a lot of people my age, they are old enough to raise another person? HAHA, right. Fortunately most of them are smart enough not to make that mistake. But wow, my sister is 23, so people her age having kids? You have to be kidding me. There is no maturity there. Heck they even did a brain scan study showing that women don't develop some of their better logical capacities until 25, the brain actually shrinks during teenage years and doesn't fully recover until about 25. And in my experience, boy, girls who are late 20s and early 30s are a delight compared to girls who are late teens and early 20s. The maturity difference is astonishing. Most girls under 25 are almost impossible to deal with, they are just basket cases. I'm not sure why this is exactly, but it's not that way with guys. If you ask me girls mature about 10 years later than guys, haha.
I think this is a great post. Not everyone is fortunate to meet the love of their live at age 25. If people want kids and have the money and stamina to deal with it in their 40s, why shouldn't they? It's not for anyone else to judge.
I'm not judging, I don't think anyone else is. I'm asking people to share their views on it, compared to mine, so that I can see the other side to it. It likely won't change my mind, but I respect their personal choices.
I agree that it depends on the person and maturity level. Nothing wrong with doing it either way.
but, imho I love the fact I had my kids young. one at 20 (maybe a couple yrs to young) and the other at 26. I will be aprox 44 when the last one leaves. I will still have plenty of life and energy left to do fun things that I would not have had the money to do at 22 with or without kids. If I have grandkids I will still be able to have fun with them and enjoy them. Also when it comes to my kids now, like another poster said, I can play, hike, swim, and roughhouse with them. I dont sit on the sidelines. And, while i'm not their friend i'm their parent, they still enjoy my company and would prefer to be here at home with their friends then at someone elses house. i'm young enough to remember and understand what my 13 yo dd is feeling/going through.
just another thought, and it doesnt always work out this way. My MIL was 40 when she had my dh. He was 33 when we had our youngest. She didnt become a grandma until 73. her health started failing and she passed away at 80. She never got to really get to know or enjoy her grandson. And her grandson never got the privaledge of really getting to know his grandma. grandpa was 47 when he had DH and died before my dh and I got married.
I think the ideal age would be late 20s to mid 30s. I don't think most people under 25 are mature enough to raise kids. Plus, how many people are financially able at that age, even with two incomes? But the cost of raising a child is probably the biggest hurdle. Some people don't feel like they can afford it until later in life and by then, they might be too old. I'm sure there are plenty of people in their 40s starting families, but imagine being 60 and having to deal with a teenager?
This subject is a little sensitive for me............I had my daughter at 16. Needless to say, I was definitely not ready for a baby since I was a baby myself. My Mom had my brother when she was 16 too so when raising my daughter it was extremely important to me to break the cycle.
I love her dearly but waiting 10 years later would have been better for me. I believe everything happens for a reason. Her father passed away when she was 6 so than that means she wouldn't be here if I had waited.
We are best friends, we talk openly about anything and hang out all the time. Although we are best friends she respects that I am her mother first. I think I did a pretty good job considering I did it alone.
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It was a purposeful decision and at nearly 40 now we wouldn't have done it any differently. The current crop of younger folks seem generally less mature and I agree that many of them are better off waiting until they are older to have their kids, some still live with their own parents at the ages we had our kids. Maturity is better factor to consider than age. Below is a perfect example. 
