i found out that my aunt gave birth to a baby recently and i was shocked. i didn’t know she was pregnant nor was i expecting her to be after having three children in their teens already. i know another family where you can’t tell the auntie and uncle’s children apart from their grandchildren because they keep having babies.
what do you guys think about the older generation having children at the same time as the younger generation? do you think there should be a point when people should stop having babies or should it be the couple’s decision to have as many babies as they want and when to want them?
related to this, recently the technique of freezing a woman’s eggs so she can have babies at a later time has made headlines because a baby was born from this treatment. like many other treatments, there are advantages and disadvantages. some ethicists say it’s good that women such as cancer patients can undergo treatment without worrying about being unable to have kids later on while others say that although it is a good breakthrough, it should not be available for anyone who wants it because it might result in children having old parents. what are your thoughts on this?
In Canada - only one baby was born healthy in this manner. Three other woman are pregnant via same means - but no idea how that will turn out.
Anyway I think people still have to be realistic. I agree with Shahreen that its their choice, but if the mother is really old, then I would worry about her own health , and the health and well being of the baby. Plus raising children is hard work, so people should think about that too - how an aged woman will put up with the demands of motherhood. Its so much hard work!
Lusi: consider the time that workers spend with children in daycare centres with the time that is spent with their own kids. work is different from home also because you have to have a certain attitude while at work, depending on your job, which tends to be different from how you are at home. you might be more tolerant towards the children at daycare because you're getting paid and you don't want to lose your job or get sued or whatever.
^ yes she had it after we were married…and tell me, why is it so ewww?? ur parents are still probably doing it..how ewww is that?
btw..u must be preg since ur throwing up…
thats what my MIL thought too..that she was goign through menopause...but 4-5 months later she found it...and ended up telling my hubby and I when she was 6 months...
i guess i'm more concerned about the children. as you get older, you usually don't have as much energy or patience and it wouldn't be fair for the kid to be raised around the time you hit menopause and he/she has to put up with your mood swings, etc. i guess i'm talking about the people i've encountered in my life who had children later in their lives and everyone saw a sharp contrast between the way the older children were raised and the way the last one was. the mother was so cranky, there was a point when she didn't even like little kids, the mood swings, the health problems, etc. and finally either the older siblings ended up having to do the raising or they sent the kid off to boarding school (starting from elementary school). i'm not against people having children at an older age, it just isn't very common and that's why it sounds weird when it happens. i guess it does depend on the couple and if they're comfortable with it, it's all good (as long as they fulfill their roles as parents and don't expect their older children to take over for them).
:) these are called "change of life babies"....when women are in menopause, they think they're done with fertility....and then voila, surprise, here's a fertile egg.
As far as being older when you have a baby, it has been shown to keep people young. Of course every case is different and parenting is a really personal choice. Babies and kiddies tire you out whether you're 20 or 50 but they also bring sunshine and delight to every aspect of your life.
