Have Kids Young or Old?

Young Mom Vs Old Mom

Been done, but I just read this article about it which was a pretty good list of a lot of the pros/cons of both sides.

So, which would you go for?

Personally, I like the young end of it because, well, I'm biased.

I'd say in-between, like late 20's/early 30's. I think that gives mothers the chance to have some fun and enjoy being young and having minimal responsibilities (not to mention finding someone and maintaining a steady relationship) before having kids.

It's obviously different for everyone though, I think it depends on your personality and what your childhood was like. I think it also depends on the kind of lifestyle you want at the time.

Well, there's good and bad to both sides I guess, just like everything else. I am biased as well, because I am a young mom, but I think that it's a good thing because I have the rest of my life ahead of me and when the little one is all grown up and has her own life, or moves out, I will still be young enough to have some kind of adult life aside from being a mom. Although on the other hand, being older would be better in a way because (I hope) that I would be more prepared finacially, hopefully with a career and all that stuff.

I'm with SOM on this one.

older dude! you gotta live your life 1st

Sometimes you don't have a choice

For the sake of the thread let's pretend that all children are planned. Paints the picture of a pretty world, don't it?

Bit of tricky one because parenthood relies on so many different factors,ones that where age doesn't really come into it..but I would say

Older (30-40 ish) as there is more chance of them being financially stable,thus a higher chance of a better upbringing (hopefully).

Then I'd say young. At least when you kick them out at 18 you have a few years before retirement.

Exactly! Sometimes in life things happen, but life goes on! If I'd planned it, I wouldnt have a toddler at 21, i'd (hopefully) be in school or done and working and all that, not being a single stay at home mom, but with that said, I wouldn't change a thing. If anything my daughter is a little more motivation to do something with my life, so that I can raise her how I'd like to.

yupp!

Well your OP did imply that it was the 'choice' of the poster that you were interested in. That is what I responded to.

i had my son at 18, which looking back i was very naive, but we are good friends now he's 20, but at the age i am now, and a bit younger, i think i would of enjoyed it more now, bee more patient, but have no regrets, except that i didnt have morex

I agree with this.

Though I picked older. I'm 22 and no where near ready to have kids. I'm not married and would like to be before I have kids. I also would like a few years with my partner and enjoy life before embarking on parenthood. So I'm guessing late 20's is when I want kids but I don't know if that I'll happen.

I think the trend is actually going to where more and more are having kids late.

I'd pick old over young because I want my kids to have everything and that requires stability in my life for myself. I also don't want to be in place later on in my life where I have to choose between job/home. I want to be able to do both.

I already think that I'd be willing to give up my day job to be able to stay home with my kids. But I don't want to lose my skills, nor do I want to regret that. I'm have a job now that I can do contracting work with. I can contract with different clients and do as much or as little as I want in my field. I'm not bound to an office or a certain environment and that's the best thing. I want to be able to do stuff on the side while taking care of my kids and not having to worry about money too much to where we're on the verge of broke.

I want the best schooling for my kids and that may include private school. I want them to have everything I wanted when I was younger without spoiling them. Call it crazy and planned, sure... but at least I'm giving them the best.

Maybe a younger mom is hipper, but you lose your personal goals and dreams in life because you're forced to make choices for the sake of your kids. I rather make the choice to have kids later in life so that instead of giving up a dream, I'm pursing mine while giving my kids every chance to purse theirs.

I guess I'll expand a bit on the aspect I like about young parenthood.

This time of my own life is still largely about spontinaety, and I love that my child will get to share in that more than the idea of raising them when everything else is settled.

I like the idea of us both doing schoolwork at the same time.

I love the energy of this age, that I'm still immature and I can share that with them.

I like that I'll live long enough to see both my child and grandchildren reach adulthood, and perhaps even the first parts of my great-grandchildrens' lives (ideally).

I like that he got to know a couple of his great-grandparents.

I like that I was pregnant at an optimum age to cope with the changes and recover quickly.

I like that things are still changing rapidly for me. My hours are always changing, my interests, I'll probably change jobs, start school again, etc, etc, etc. I like that there's still that instability and that my child will be around to learn that flexability. That's bordering though-- I'm still with his father, and we are living in the house that he will grow up in (ideally). I'm not sure whether or not I'd feel the same without those two things stable.

I actually like that we're not "set" financially and have to pick and choose what we do, that my kid will see that money isn't limitless. That's bordering though. I was already supporting myself before parenthood, so it wasn't so difficult financially. We don't make a whole lot at this, but we've never really been suffering either. I imagine that had I still been living at home without a real job, I wouldn't have enjoyed young mommyhood so much.

I'm intensely proud that I was able to adapt to mommyhood from practically single and partyhood so smoothely, and so happily, that I was able to get all the major aspects of my life together so quickly and in such a way that I still really love the life I get to lead. I don't think it would have carried the same pride for a married 30 year old that it did for me as a practically single 20 year old.

And now I've lost my train of thought, and there were other aspects... But I guess in short, I love the lifestyle that I have right now, and I'm intensely grateful that I got myself knocked up so that my kid would get a chance to share in it because I wouldn't have known to choose it otherwise.