In a way, I wish I had my act together when I was younger and had my kids then. My first child was born when I was 30.. I was 36 when my youngest was born. Now, I feel that’s almost too old, but who knows.

I was 29 and 32 which seems about right for me, although we were trying for over a year before my first pregnancy. I wasn’t prepared for what parenthood involved when I had my first baby; I’m not sure if being older or younger would have made much difference. But we had some good adventures before we had them and I have good health and security now to enjoy my “golden years” so I guess it’s worked out ok.

I don’t have any children, but my mom had me when she was 25 (I am the first child). She often told people that she had me at a very late age. She doesn’t seem to be bothered by that though.

26 for the first one

Can I say that if we would have had our child I would have been 31, and my then girlfriend 30?
And I feel I only now feel like I would have been a good father (or rather, ready).
So I think in hindsight the decision gets only more right.

31. Felt right. Still does, expect sometimes I really wish they were old enough now to have their own apartment.

I was 41 when my one and only was born. I’m 55 now.

I felt like the train was leaving the station, and it was now or never. I was financially “set.” I could have had a child when I was younger, of course, but was not financially set and would have been more scattered due to relationship, education and job issues.

I was almost 35, and I felt that I was likely a much more patient parent because of it, and because I had to jump through so many hoops to even get pregnant. Sometimes I wish I had done it ten years earlier, just for the energy factor, but I’m pretty sure I would have yelled.

I was 31 when we adopted my daughter. She was one.

It worked out well as I was old enough to have something of a clue how to parent but young enough to be mobile and have fun.

My kids were born when I was 29 and 30, nearly 31.
My father had is first at 20, his fourth and last at 26.
I am glad I had kids at an age where I was energetic enough to deal with it, and responsible enough to deal with it.

I was 40 when my son was born, my ex was 37.

I felt a little old when they were growing up, but never so much as at my daughter’s back to school gathering in second grade, where a friend’s dad who was a father at age 20 showed up. He was 27 and looked 17.

I was 31 when we had our first, the year after we married, and 34 when we had our second.

20, 27 and 29.

For comparison, a friend of mine just turned 50 and has a 2-year-old.

Ouch!

@cookieman which in many ways isn’t much different than grandparents raising their grandchildren.

My father was 24 and my mother was 26 when I was born.

My paternal grandfather was 44 when my father was born.

One evening when I was 36 (1983), I was feeling appreciation that my father was young when I was born, because it meant he’d be in my life for many years.
This led to me wondering how old my father was when his father passed away. His father passed at the age of 80, when he was 36.

I was 28. By contrast when I was born, also a first child, my dad was 24 and mom was 19. But that was ages ago and dad was in the Army. So they had no worries about medical care really. Military lifer folks.

@snowberry: Very true.

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