How old were you when you had your first child?
My wife was 35 for our first child and 40 for our second child. She said "no doubt about it, having kids at 35 is better than 40". Everything went fine for both births but when she was pregnant she was hard core about not putting ANYTHING in her body that might not be good for the baby (no alcohol, no coffee, not even an aspirin) and she had me quit smoking to avoid being around the smoke (which I did). Having kids young means you have more energy but you are also more impulsive and tend to freak out more over the small stuff (not good for kids). It also means you get to be involved with grand children and have a shot at having great grand children. That may not sound important now but there will come a time when it's huge and there are no “do-overs”. Having kids older means you probably have more money to raise the kid. You have more patience and (check this out if you like) kids born to older parents tend to have higher IQs. A disproportionate number of people who attained greatness in many different disciplines were born to parents 40+. I would guess a perfect child bearing age would be, from a physical and mental perspective, late 20s to mid 30s. Getting a college degree before hand is also an excellent idea because otherwise there will not be time for that until those kids are in high school or college.
How old were you when you had your first child?
I adopted my first child at age 34. I gave birth for the first time to my second child at almost 36. I would've liked it to have been about 5-7 years earlier, but that's the way it happened.As a mom on the lower end of older , I think the fact that I was married for 10 years before I had kids had advantages and disadvantages. I didn't have to get used to a new marraige at the same time as my parents. I have an established career, 2 college degrees. I have parents at my kids school who I could possibly be their parent. They are doing a darn good job, but they are juggling more than me. Plus I sense they are intimidated by older parents who are really accomplished in their careers, and don't speak up at PTO as much.I have less energy. So does my husband.My kids don't have any cousins their age, our holiday gatherings are not the raucous events they were my nieces or nephews were young. My kids get more adult attention, but they don't need more of that lol.Being over 35 automatically classifies you as high risk. I did have a high risk, life threatening pregnancy.I don't want more kids , but I also can't, unless I adopt again. But I grew up with 3 siblings, my kids just have each other. I feel like my kids rely way too much in my husband and I playing with them. My mom was a great mom, but she wasn't my playmate. My brother is only 5 years older than me but has a son who is 24, a daughter 22, and a 17 year old. He'll turn 50 next year. When I'm 50, kids will both be in high school. My mom and dad had 4 kids by the time they were 29 and 32. They were still working when they had their first grandchild.
How Old Were You When You Had Your First Child?
(i also asked this question in another section) i am 16 still a virgin, i was reading some people's answers and they said some conceived at a pretty young age. as well as my sister she was preg at 14. this is just a question i am not criticizing any one. oh and if you are pregnant for the first time just let me know your age. do you/did you like being a parent?
How old were you when you had your first child?
i am 20 years old almost 21. i am currently 7 weeks pregnant with my first child. my pregnancy was planned, me and my fiancé have been together for a few years now and will be getting married very soon. he will turn 25 the day after i turn 21 so he is a few years older than me. we both have jobs, live together, and love eachother very much. we had been talking about having a baby for awhile and we are both so excited it's finally happening :) im explaining all of this just to give some background info and i'm asking this question because i asked a question on here a few days ago asking any advice for first time mothers and i was surprised to see a lot of people giving me hate and saying very rude things about me having a baby at my age... it hurt me because i personally do not feel like i am too young. im an adult and i would have never planned to have a child if i didn't think i was fully ready and able to provide for my baby. so my question to other mothers, how old were you when you had your first child? also if you have any advice that was helpful to you during your pregnancy feel free to share :) please do not be rude
How old were you when you had your first child?
I was 21 years old when I had my first child. Looking back I had just finished college and I think I was too young, I should have been older, maybe around 24. We weren't even married when my eldest was born, we got married about a year later. My husband and I currently have 4 children. The oldest is our 14 year old daughter, youngest is our 2 year old son. We have two more boys, a 9 year old and a 6 year old. Our financial situation is stable, but if it improves, we might consider having more children. I love my kids, but because I've had 4 children and started in my early twenties, my career has never really started. I'm pretty much a stay at home mom. I have a university degree, but I don't have much work experience. My husband is doing very well so our socioeconomic status is great. However, I would have loved to work a few years before being pregnant. I'm not keen on getting back into the workforce anytime soon, because I just don't like the child care centers around my town. Hope this helped!
How old were you when you adopted your first child?
I haven't yet adopted, but my husband and I (31 and 27), the parents of 6 biological children, ages 2-9, have talked about it for a few years. I never thought about it until I had my own children. We currently have a friend who may decide to give us her baby when he's born in a few months. Regardless, we plan to adopt, hopefully siblings (2 or more brothers/sisters) in the next few years. Ironically enough, my parents (47 and 49) have wanted to adopt once my 2 brothers and sister and I were grown. I don't remember them talking about it but my younger sister does. My youngest brother is now 21. They attended orientation tonight, with the agency (in this case their church) through which they plan to adopt. They're hoping to adopt a girl they know at church who is 11. She's Hispanic, at least in part. Non-white children and those over the age of 5 are considered "special needs" since most people, unfortunately, choose to adopt white children under the age of 5. Adoption is a wonderful thing to do for a child. Start saving your money now though, as depending on the method of adoption, it can be costly. It surprised be to learn that it will cost thousands of dollars just to adopt a friend's baby! I believe going through a state agency is significantly cheaper. Good luck and God bless
How old were you when you had your first baby?
24... it was a fine age. Not too old, but old enough to have had time to enjoy going out and having no responsibilities, etc.