Anonymous wrote:I'm the youngest of 4 and my parents were 40 and 45 when I was born. My dad passed last year at age 94 and my mom is presently 90 I am 49. I feel very fortunate to have been able to enjoy my parents for so long because I worried about them dying my whole life - parents their age were not very common when I grew up and my parents seemed ancient compared to others. You say that you want to enjoy your kids, but don't forget, your kids also want to enjoy you. My parents had zero health problems until they were in their 80s - and the past 10 years have involved blood transfusions, doctors visits hospice and frequent visits from the four kids - 3 that live more than 200 miles away. The timing is tough when your adult children still have children of their own to care for PLUS you. If you want to have a 4th, understanding how you will impact your children's lives is something that you should strongly consider - especially as there is a chance they will have young children of their own to care for when you need them most. Also, getting old is expensive - until you witness how it all works - the in home help, the doctors visits, the diapers, the assisted living costs - wow. This is a part of retirement that most are not considering. I had my kids young - if I waited until 40 like my parents, my kids would be in elementary school and I would be dealing with aging parents and young kids at once - which is pretty unimaginable. I'm not saying don't do it - I'm saying really look at your finances - and be honest about how much you will need to rely on your kids in your old age.
My parents had me late; I had my kids late.
the good thing about that? enough money for retirement
Mom handled all of Dad's health issues by keeping him at home. My husband and I have LT health insurance, college savings and plenty of retirement (our own, plus pensions).
didn't have that stability 20 years ago