The Advantages of Being an Older Parent

"I think the important thing to remember is that you're never too old to play with kids' toys. I know it's been said many times before, but age really is just a state of mind. In my eyes, my mother will never be old. She's still like a six-year-old inside, but is able to combine that with being mature and supportive, all the ingredients that matter.

"I never once wished that my mother were younger in years. Why should I? After all, what she gave to me could not have been surpassed by knocking 20 years off of her age. In fact, I believe that it was her age that made her such a good mother. She had a wealth of experience and had already learned a lot of life's lessons by the time she had me, for which I shall be eternally grateful."

Vicky's Story
Vicky is just 18 and her mother, now 59, was 41 when Vicky was born. Vicky's father is 54. Her parents are now divorced and Vicky lives with her mother and her mother's partner, Graham, although she sees her father every week. Vicky has an older brother of 25, who lives in Germany with his wife and two children.

Vicky says, "My mother is one of the trendiest middle-aged women you'll ever meet. She's more conscious of the latest fashion trends than I am, but at the same time she doesn't try to dress like a 20-year-old. She's very stylish and when she accompanies me to nightclubs (when Graham lets her out!), she gets chatted up more than I do! To say that having an older parent means that they must be fuddy-duddies is nonsense. Maybe some parents are, but you don't have to be old to have a narrow-minded attitude, do you? Some of my friends' parents, most of them in fact, wouldn't dream of going out in the evenings with their daughters, which is sad really. I mean, why should you stop having fun just because you hit a certain age?

"When my mum was expecting me, she said that she came up against a lot of negative reactions from her family and friends. They did their best to convince her that I was going to be born with some disorder, like Down syndrome or something, but she said that her intuition told her that I was going to be a healthy, bonny baby—and she was right. Although other people say that they are just concerned when they give unwanted advice, I think that they should mind their own business and give encouragement, rather than making someone feel awful, especially at a time when they need most support.