Posted on 10/23/2007 6:50:10 PM PDT by qam1
Jerry Syrovatka says that at 51 he can still run circles around his 8-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son.
But who knows how long that will last?
The Weston Ranch resident is part of a growing phenomenon among baby boomers: men who father children well past the age of 40.
"I'm in construction, so I can keep up with the big guys and the little guys," Syrovatka said. "I still got the old spunk in me."
There's a joy to fatherhood no matter when someone has a child, but many Americans are waiting longer. Research shows the percentage of married men having children at 40 or older has nearly tripled over the past two decades, from 5 percent in 1984 to 14 percent in 2004. That includes such famous figures as Rod Stewart and Larry King.
Men older than 40, however, also have a growing list of potential complications to consider before welcoming a new tyke to the fold.
Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York found the rate of autistic children is six times higher for men older than 40 than for dads in their 20s. Previous studies by the same researchers linked advanced paternal age with lower intelligence scores and schizophrenia.
Down syndrome cases occur in 60 out of every 10,000 births when both parents are 40 or older. That's six times the national average.
A couple of reasons stand out for older men fathering children, said Dr. Mohit Khera, a professor of urology at Baylor University.
The first is divorce, after which some men remarry younger women and start a second family.
The second is a general trend toward waiting until midlife - when educational goals have been attained and a career started - before marrying and fathering children.
As for the risks, Khera said the science is not all in but belief within the urological community is that DNA cells weaken with age and damage the genetic information contained therein. The impaired cells are passed on during fertilization. Research is ongoing, he said.
And yet, fathers say, the rewards are well worth the risks.
"The pro side of my situation is that I have wisdom younger people don't have, I have earning ability younger people don't have and I'm able see things better than younger people do," said Paul Mitchell, 51, who subrogates claims for an insurance company in Citrus Heights. Mitchell is dad to Rocky, 8, and Chenice, 3.
That jibes with research author Debbie Mandel has done on this subject. She said older parents often see kids as a higher priority than younger ones, taking time to attend a school play or go on a field trip. Dads in middle age usually have the emotional makeup to handle parenting better than men in their 20s.
"Children benefit from a parent who has a sense of self, who made mistakes and grew and as a result he can help a child grow up happy and confident," Mandel said. "He knows the route."
Additionally, today's older fathers are more physically fit than men in their 40s a generation ago, she said. They can still expend the energy needed to cart around a toddler.
"At the end of the day, I still had energy and everyone else was pooped," Syrovatka said of a recent family trip to San Diego.
Mitchell gets up before dawn to workout and ensure he has the stamina to take care of his two children. Otherwise, he said, he'd be falling asleep on the couch before the kids go to bed.
Mark Rogers is a professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and specializes in family law, domestic relations, and parenting. He also is father to a 21-year-old son, Dillon, from his first marriage and 5-year-old son, Jake, from his current marriage.
"This is an area of interest for me personally but also professionally," he said. "It's one I've wrestled with."
Rogers, 51, said children benefit from parents who are able to mentor more than discipline. That ability often comes with age.
"You can have rich discussions and meaningful bonding with fathers in their later ages," he said. "You can relate on many levels because you've been there."
And yet, being there for the long haul may be biggest question older dads worry over. That is, whether they will live long enough to witness their children's major milestones: high school and college graduation, marriages and the birth of a grandchild.
"I figure I've got to make it to at least 70," Mitchell said.
daddy ping
Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social (and sometimes nostalgic) aspects that directly effects Generation Reagan / Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1981) including all the spending previous generations are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.
Yawn.... Honest genealogical research shows that men fathering children after the age of 40 was not uncommon in centuries past.
Well, women having babies in their sixties.. there may be something to be said for older/wiser parenthood, but personally I liked growing up with youthful parents. Would have been odd to have a 70+ geriatric as a dad in high school..
I don’t care what age they “father” the children, just so long as they “support” the children as well !!!
... mostly because it takes that long to find a non-psychotic American woman to wed....
I don’t make the rules, ladies, I just enjoy them...
You are correct
I’m 51 and have a 5 yr old son. He makes me feel 30 yrs younger and 30 yrs older, simultaneously.
Yes, it’s been going on forever. I remember some accounts of men in their 70’s fathering children.
Tiger Woods had an older father and he’s doing alright.
He would probably be doing even better if his father was still alive.
If he’s 51 he’s a Boomer....Is this an inspirational ping?
Well, I know a certain 75-year-old.
Select about 10 young guys (say 25 years old), at random, off of the street. Give all of 'em hammers and power saws and put 'em all on a construction site with the 75-year-old.
When all the 25-year-olds are whining, panting and crying for their mamas, Grandpa will still be going strong.
no surprise here
But the example is a 51 year old but the article focuses on men waiting until their 40's to have kids and since the oldest Xers have past 40 and the rest of us are on the cusp I figured it was ping worthy
I’m sure Tiger wishes his father were alive. However, professionally he’s playing as well as ever, and is now a father himself.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.