Older than average parents.

[Ceelea]

My father's father was born in 1885.

 

[Lovebugx]

Wow we have the same background! My parents were 41 when they had me and my dad died at 44 when I was 2, in the early 70s. They had had a stillborn son when they were in their early 30s and a couple of miscarriages afterwards and had kind of given up, my mum even said she thought she was getting early menopause when she became pregnant with me.

Growing up I was a little embarrassed as being the only one with an older mum, as all the kids on my street had mum's in their 20s nd 30s. Not massively embarrassed though, it was just a fact. Teachers at school didn't believe me at first when I said my mum and dad remembered the war as they were convinced I was talking about grandparents. However, I felt more different because of being an only child and from having a dad who had died young and that I didn't remember, rather than having an older mum. In the area I grew up in single parent families were more of a rarity then, whether through divorce or unmarried let alone widowed.

My mum died when I was 31 and it annoyed me at the time when people asked how old she'd been... I think they assumed because of my age that she must have been in her 50s or 60s, so when I said she was 73 some people would go "oh well then..." as if it was no longer worth their sympathy as she was "old" - sorry but it was still sudden!

Definitely less of an issue now for people to have children later in life.

I'm so sorry to hear about your mum Forfoxsake , this is one of my biggest fears at the moment that I will one day in the not too distant future lose my mum she's 76 now and I'm 35 .
It is as you and everyone says so accepted now , parents of any age , but I just think it's the losing your parents at a young age that's so sad. I literally only have my mum ,I'm not close to my older brother and sister , of any extended family so for me it's like , I'll be losing that entire part of my life , there will be no one here that I've grown up with ,no one thats known me from the year dot .
Sad but a part of life we all have to accept I guess

It was such a thing then , it was often commented on. I do think people in their 40s and beyond were so different to younger people back then , they were from a different era , whereas now there doesn't seem to be such a difference .

Yes I agree , my mum has always seemed old , and old lady before her time she wouldn't be pleased if she heard me. But I guess when she was growing up in the 40s life expectancy wasn't what it is now , so someone in thier 60s 70s then seemed like a rely old person . Where as now , I work in a nursing home where average age is 80+ with quite a few over 95 !

 

[Kim Mild]

My father's father was born in 1885.

My grandfather was born in 1899. He lived until his 90s. He used to say about how many changes he'd seen .

My mum was 37 and my dad was 57 when they had me! My mums always looked younger so never felt she was " old" but my dad was born in the 30s and raising a 90s baby! definitely had its challenges and people did tell my parents they were selfish and i'd be left without a dad at a young age.. im 30 now and my dads still alive. It made me 100% want to wait until I was in my 30s to have children and be selfish before hand!

My dad was born in the 1930s too, my mum early 40s. I think there is a difference between people born after the war and people born before / during. I can't describe it but I've noticed it with other people too , especially when I was a child when these people were in the 40s/50s and still at work. These people are from a different era. They were born into a different world.

People in their mid thirties to mid 40s are from the xennial micro generation, there isn't so much difference between them now. If people understand what I mean .

 

[Ceelea]

Wow... He came close to living in three centuries !

 

[Kim Mild]

Wow... He came close to living in three centuries !

It blows my mind how many monarchs were on the throne during his lifetime. ( the 2 Georges and 2 Edwards confuse me) . I can't even imagine a time Elizabeth wasn't queen.

 

[Ceelea]

It blows my mind how many monarchs were on the throne during his lifetime. ( the 2 Georges and 2 Edwards confuse me) . I can't even imagine a time Elizabeth wasn't queen.

Let's see... Queen Victoria ( died 1901 ), her son Edward VII ( 1901-1910 ), George V ( 1910-1936 ), Edward VIII ( 1936 ), George VI ( 1936-1952 ) and Elizabeth I ( 1952- ).

Six monarchs in his lifetime... That's pretty good !

 

[Kim Mild]

Let's see... Queen Victoria ( died 1901 ), her son Edward VII ( 1901-1910 ), George V ( 1910-1936 ), Edward VIII ( 1936 ), George VI ( 1936-1952 ) and Elizabeth I ( 1952- ).

Six monarchs in his lifetime... That's pretty good !

Wonder when the last time someone had that many monarchs in their life apart from theses ones.? I mean apart from my grandfather's contemporaries.

 

[princesssparklepants]

My mum was 30 when I was born, my dad 40. Dad passed when I was 18 and his parents were already dead, his dad was killed in the war and he never met him (he was born after he died) and his mum died approx 2.5 years before I was born. My gran on my mums side died when I was 11 and my grandad passed away in 2019.

My brother became a dad at 38, his wife at 37. I'm 35 and childless through choice as I'm a carer and have been since being 8 years old so when my time comes and I'm finally free of my caring responsibilities my life will (finally) be my own!