When I had my first baby, I discovered my paperwork was stamped with ‘geriatric’ mother.
With my second, I had graduated to a ‘geriatric, high risk’ mother.
Well; isn’t that just a
little blow to your glow!
little blow to your glow!
I will pay ‘high risk’. I had
experienced a retained placenta with my first baby (which can occur at any age
BTW), hence there was a chance it would occur again. It did.
experienced a retained placenta with my first baby (which can occur at any age
BTW), hence there was a chance it would occur again. It did.
But geriatric??
GERIATRIC?????
So here it is.
I will share one of my
wonderful pearls of wisdom with you – after all, they say wisdom comes with
age…!
wonderful pearls of wisdom with you – after all, they say wisdom comes with
age…!
There is NO ‘perfect’ time to have kids.
There will always be
something else you are thinking about…travel, study, age, renovations,
careers, health, etc…we are all juggling many balls in the air and we are all
from different schools of thought.
something else you are thinking about…travel, study, age, renovations,
careers, health, etc…we are all juggling many balls in the air and we are all
from different schools of thought.
And that is OK; that’s what
makes our world interesting.
makes our world interesting.
And quite frankly, in life,
we are all dealt different cards. But I have friends who had babies in
attendance at their 21st’s and others who are still very much contemplating a
child in their 40’s.
we are all dealt different cards. But I have friends who had babies in
attendance at their 21st’s and others who are still very much contemplating a
child in their 40’s.
Now clearly this is not a
study of the medical argument behind pregnancy and age. I was very much made
aware of the statistics which had even jumped significantly from baby 1 (aged
36) to baby 2 (aged 38) – thank you very much. And they are important to be
aware of; absolutely.
study of the medical argument behind pregnancy and age. I was very much made
aware of the statistics which had even jumped significantly from baby 1 (aged
36) to baby 2 (aged 38) – thank you very much. And they are important to be
aware of; absolutely.
It’s just that, until that
point, I hadn’t actually realised I was ‘old’, let alone such a ridiculously ‘exaggerated’
term such as geriatric. I still had
all my own teeth after all. Sure, I had friends with kids old enough to babysit
mine (winning!), but I was a little stunned to see that I was grouped with ‘those’
mothers. You know…the ones who the media shake out every now and then and
claim we are sucking resources dry and putting our babies at risk? Well…that
was me…apparently.
point, I hadn’t actually realised I was ‘old’, let alone such a ridiculously ‘exaggerated’
term such as geriatric. I still had
all my own teeth after all. Sure, I had friends with kids old enough to babysit
mine (winning!), but I was a little stunned to see that I was grouped with ‘those’
mothers. You know…the ones who the media shake out every now and then and
claim we are sucking resources dry and putting our babies at risk? Well…that
was me…apparently.
I understand how the lovely
pile of statistics would stack up for the researchers, but I was a real person;
not a number. I don’t believe I was selfish or conniving or ignorant. It just
took me a little while longer to find my Prince. We enjoyed being together as a
couple. Then we ‘believed’ we were ready.
Financially and emotionally. A couple of hiccups, but relatively quickly, we
were blessed with the most precious and amazing bundle that we couldn’t take
our eyes off.
pile of statistics would stack up for the researchers, but I was a real person;
not a number. I don’t believe I was selfish or conniving or ignorant. It just
took me a little while longer to find my Prince. We enjoyed being together as a
couple. Then we ‘believed’ we were ready.
Financially and emotionally. A couple of hiccups, but relatively quickly, we
were blessed with the most precious and amazing bundle that we couldn’t take
our eyes off.
Geriatric or not, we are good
parents.
parents.
No dammit; we are awesome…(on
a good day when all the ducks line up)…!
a good day when all the ducks line up)…!
We waited to find each other.
We got to know each other.
We travelled.
We planned, laughed and
dreamed.
dreamed.
This was ‘right’ for us.
And I am certain you may have
had a very different experience of what was ‘right’ for you.
It may not have been the ‘right’
time according to that pile of stats, but when is that exactly? An age bracket
cannot provide the answer; there is so much more to it than an ‘age’. Despite
believing it was ‘time’, our babies changed our lives in a way we didn’t see
coming and I’m tipping that could happen whether you are 16 or 40!
time according to that pile of stats, but when is that exactly? An age bracket
cannot provide the answer; there is so much more to it than an ‘age’. Despite
believing it was ‘time’, our babies changed our lives in a way we didn’t see
coming and I’m tipping that could happen whether you are 16 or 40!
It also changed our home into
an oasis of fairy dust, poo jokes, bath time splashing, sticky finger prints on
windows and tears of exhaustion and sheer joy.
an oasis of fairy dust, poo jokes, bath time splashing, sticky finger prints on
windows and tears of exhaustion and sheer joy.
So, no, I do not believe it
is ever the ‘perfect time’ to have kids.
is ever the ‘perfect time’ to have kids.
I guess it was simply ‘our’
time.
time.
Share the love :
