With medical science and the media often highlighting the benefits of becoming parents earlier in life; in one’s twenties, perhaps it is important to also highlight some of the benefits of becoming a parent after one turns 30.
It could be that a couple married when they were already in their 30’s or that they chose to wait until they were in their 30’s, for reasons of career etc., they will then find that there is much to recommend parenthood in their 30’s
By the time one is in their 30’s they have had time to experience life a bit, to have seen some of the world and how it works. There is also perhaps, dare we say, some wisdom gained along the way? There is certainly a sense of having lived life just a little bit by the time you are thirty.
Having children is a huge responsibility for which priorities of life will irrevocably and dramatically be altered.
For this a parent has to be prepared and mature enough. It isn’t just the handling of the baby for which the parent has to be prepared; it is also the giving of one’s self, their time and the resources that the parent has to be prepared for.
This may come more easily to an individual in their 30’s rather than a person in their early 20’s who may at the time even resent the presence of a small individual that demands so much in terms of time, effort and yes so much emotional investment too!
They say that with age comes patience. This is certainly true in the case of parenting. The wisdom at one gain along with age is also usually peppered by a healthy dose of patience.
Life tends to teach you that you cannot rush it. Of course some of us may be no less impetuous at 80 than we were at 18, but perhaps one can learn to be a little less impatient when one matures. As any parent will tell you, parenthood is, after all about patience and keeping your cool and all the rest!
Also perhaps a couple who married in their twenties and decide to have a child when they reach their 30’s are probably in a stable enough relationship for it to be an excellent environment to bring a child into?
So while the cons of being in an older parent undoubtedly exist, parents in their 30’s do have a lot to recommend them too!
