Anyone with a mom who had you over 40?

[Anonymous]

My mom was 37 when I was born, my dad 39. I was the youngest of 8. We lived in a neighborhood with other big families, which always means the youngest child always has old parents.

My dad had a massive stroke when I was 2. I remember thinking my parents would never see me graduate high school. Had my dad not had a stroke, I probably would never have thought this.

As a teenager, most poeple would assume my mom was my grandma. We got used to saying no, not granddaughter, daughter.

Other than those weird things, im close to my parents. I was always close to my mom.

[Anonymous]

I also think it would be really difficult to be an only child of older parents especially if you have young children of your own.

Well, I'm an older parent, had my son a few days after I turned 37. He's now 2. I am also the oldest of five, and NONE of my siblings are lifting a finger to help with my aging mother who has huge health problems...and started having her kids at 29. So there are no guarantees in life. Have your kids when you're ready to have them.

[Anonymous]

Boy this thread is depressing. I had my first baby at 41 and 2nd at 43, and I am healthy. As a matter of fact, my dr at my physical last week called me young and healthy, and I exercise. So I plan on living till 95 and hanging out with my kids. I attempt to be as hip as possible. My mother had 3 kids by the time she was 20, and she died in a car accident when she was only 24. So having kids when you are young doesn't guarantee you will be around for them either.

[Anonymous]

Young moms in this area raise eyebrows more than older moms.

mid-30s to forties is norm in NW and N.Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Different perspective here - my mom had me at 22 and my best friend's mom had her at 43. I remember that my mom seemed so cool when we were young, because she was YOUNG. She was always on the floor playing with us and DOING stuff while my best friend mom seemed much more aloof.

When we hit about 12 or 13 - my relationship with my mom was awful. Horrible. She was so young and really didn't know how to discipline me. She tried to be my friend and it really didn't work. My best friend's mom and her were so close and I really envied that. I went a lot of places with them because her mom seemed to really have it together. Looking back - my mom was probably just finding out who she was.....

My mom and I are close now - but it was a really hard time for us. I think it was part of why I waited so long to have kids (late 30s).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Young moms in this area raise eyebrows more than older moms.

mid-30s to forties is norm in NW and N.Arlington.

what does that have to do with the OP's question?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Young moms in this area raise eyebrows more than older moms.

mid-30s to forties is norm in NW and N.Arlington.

It's common but not the norm, you are fooling yourself.

[Anonymous]

My mom was 19 when she had me and was always the youngest mom. She was pretty and thin which always made me proud (sometimes shopkeepers would assume we were sisters etc.). I had kids much older (39 and 42) so I sort of "normalized" our ages. Now that I look back I realize my parents were not great parents because they were so young. My grandmother (who was 45!) really helped to raise me and was the most significant person to me in my young life. She seemed "old" to me, grandmotherly, and now I'm 46. I'm about 8 years older then most of my peers but they are usually surprised when I say I'm "over 40".

[Anonymous]

I think this really depends on the person. My mom was 35 and 36 when she had my sister and me in the early 70s. So she was older than most of my friends' moms. While she was not a "hip" older mom, she was very active and energetic. When I was 13, and she was 39, we went on a 2 week biking/camping trip together, biking 30-50 miles a day. When I was in my 20s, she was at the gym 5x a week. In my early 30s, she did pilates daily, lifted weights, spent hours gardening. She was in as good if not better shape than I was (cardiovascularly and in terms of strength) when she was 66 and I was 30! She was always an inspiration to me in that way, not to mention many other ways ... she was smart, motivated, keen, devoted, and so encouraging of us. I honestly couldn't have hoped for a better role model. The only thing that ever made me scratch my head was her grey hair when we were in elementary/middle school, and that's just b/c she wasn't vain, at all, and didn't dye her hair.

Sadly, she died in a fatal car accident at 68, before being able to meet her grandchildren on my side (she was an absolutely amazing, energetic grandma to my sister's first daughter for 6 years). Had she not died in such a circumstance (i.e. of non-natural causes), I'm convinced she would be kicking until 100, as she was healthy as a horse.

My dad, at 70, is also very active (gym 5x a week) and heavily, actively involved in my kids' and my sisters' kids lives, that is when he's not traveling around or pulling all nighters doing pro bono legal work despite having retired 7 years ago.

In sum, I wouldn't have traded my "older" parents for the world, though I suspect I may have felt differently if I'd had different parents.

I had my kids at 36 and 38 and am trying to be as active, energetic a mom to them as my mom was to me, though I tell ya, sometimes it ain't easy, partic. given that I WOHM FT and my mother SAHM despite having a law degree.

[Anonymous]

I wish I would have had an older mom, maybe she would have been more involved in my life (growing up) if she had had the chance to grow up herself.