answer:@JilltheTooth – The details you provided are perfect to start a discussion. It’s dangerous turf, so we all need to keep in mind there are plenty of opinions which are not necessarily true or false in an objective way. Personally I think the age of the parents has a somewhat greater influence on children compared to the number of children. Here’s what I think and I could be wrong: The ideal age for blue collar workers is 20–25 and for white collar workers it’s 22–28. In Western societies it makes sense that both man and woman should be at least 20 years old. Having a baby between 30–35 might not be ideal but usually it’s fine as well. Medical risks are a separate matter, but I think the focus here should be “from the point of view of the children”. A key element influencing the decision and age is whether grandparents are available for support or not. Another factor is the flexibility of the country and companies/organization when it comes to maternal or parental leave. Many European countries are quite advanced, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parental_leave#Europe I have observed A among one of my closer relatives and it was not only about the extra spoiling but also all the extra anxiety something might happen to the child. Advice like never enter a grocery store knowing exactly where the emergency exit is located. The fear of losing a child seems to increase with age. I think fathers who are 60 or older are less than ideal despite the financial security this usually involves. Many people will see things differently. Let’s have a civilized debate. One interesting medical aspect for fathers might be this: “Ideal age for fathers is 25–30: For now, prospective parents might want to rethink their plans about when to have children, says Herbert Meltzer, a psychiatrist and widely recognized schizophrenia expert at Vanderbilt University. He believes the risks for children of older fathers will eventually be seen to be as noteworthy as the risks facing older mothers. “It’s going to be more and more of an issue to society,” he notes. “Schizophrenia is a terrible disease, and anything that can be done to reduce it is terribly important. Meltzer thinks women should take a man’s age into consideration when choosing a partner to have children with. And men might want to think about having sperm stored when they are young. Because despite the advances in understanding autism and schizophrenia, treatment is limited and difficult, and a cure remains elusive.”
http://how-old-is-too-old.blogspot.com/2009/01/for-now-prospective-parents-might-want.html