Is there an ideal time to have kids?
March 27, 2012
A study of older parents has revealed that many think that having kids in their 30s would have been ideal.
The University of California, San Francisco, study involved 46 couples and 15 single women who had used in vitro fertilization to conceive their first child when the woman was 40-years-old or older.
While the participants admitted that there are advantages and disadvantages to having kids a bit later in life, the majority (80 percent of women and 70 percent of men) said that they believed the optimum age for having kids is in the 30s.
Among the reasons many of them gave for wishing they had been able to have kids at a younger age were lack of energy and stamina to keep up with a little one.
Other disadvantages mentioned by study participants included being healthy and living to see their children become adults; having fewer children than they wanted; and feeling stigmatized for being older parents, according to Yahoo! News.
However, being an older parent was also believed to have some definite advantages for those involved in the study. Many said that increased confidence, financial security and emotional preparedness for parenting make them better parents now than they would have been earlier in life.
"I know that I'm way more self-aware than I was 20 years ago," one father said. "I feel like I'm in a better position to communicate better with my child and help them more in life, and I understand how to be a supportive, encouraging parent."
While the parents involved in the study realized their dream of having a child in their 40s, many individuals over the age of 40 are realizing another dream as well – getting a college degree.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), nontraditional students are becoming more common in American colleges. A 2009 report found that less than half (49 percent) of undergraduate students were between the ages of 19 and 23 years old. Those between the ages of 24 and 29 made up 17 percent of the total, those aged 30 to 39 made up 12 percent and those 40-years-old and older made up 10 percent.
There are several advantages associated with going to college a bit later in life as well. They include an increased ability to focus, more life experience and the ability to better deal with challenges. In addition, older students are often more focused and able to perform better and finish their degrees quicker than younger students.
Moms who go back to school also serve as positive role models for their children.
While some older students may be able to better afford going back to school, those who can't can apply for various grants for parents, scholarships for mothers, single mother scholarships and other financial aid to make it affordable.
