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Too Old For This?
Monday, October 10, 2011 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
Are you too old for this?
Sometimes, I think I am.
What you ask?
Parenthood, of course!
Is there a magic age to have your first child?
Is there a right age?
Will your child's development be affected by your or your partner's age?
Are there things you will or won't or can or can't do because of the age you are when you enter into this adventure called parenthood?
I was quite a ways past the average age (25 years old) that most women in the United State give birth. Gulp. I was 10 years past that age.
When we found out we were pregnant, we had waited so long that folks figured our kiddo was as much a surprise to us as it was to them. Upon announcing our pregnancy, one of the parents responded "Well, I hope you're happy about this." In case you are wondering, we were beyond thrilled. It had been 4 years of dating and 13 years of marriage. That's 17 years in case you are counting.
There weren't many issues in conceiving. It took a little time, but nothing out of the norm (which can be up to a year).
At age 35, I felt ready. The hubby (who is 5 years older than me) and I settled right into parenthood. There was no missing our old lives. We enjoyed being at home, didn't care about the date nights and relished almost (I occasionally do miss an uninterrupted night of sleep!) every moment of our new roles.
Fast forward nearly 5 years and I'm staring 40 in the face.
Am I too old for this?
I just ran home from the kiddo's swimming class pushing her in her jogger stroller (sometimes, a mama has got to do what a mama has to do in order to get some exercise
). It's not that physically I feel to old for this. In fact, I still feel pretty darn good.
I do admit, I am totally out of the loop when it comes to anything new and hip.
Entertainment? I know nada. This will definitely not be cool when the kiddo starts school.
I think I am quickly becoming an old fogey. Let's face it, we don't have television.
I drink coffee and tea daily and have long said good-bye to soda pop.
Fashion? Let's not even go there.
And, as for having a second munchkin? Well, I do the math and come up with a big fat zero. This means that I think about how old I am now and how old I will be when the next one would be born (40!!!), and how old I would be when they went to kindergarten and graduated high school and went off to college and...and, well, I am feeling too old to get back into the game.
Am I too old for this?
What does your age say about you and your ability to parent?
Does it say anything?
Does it mean anything for your child's development?
