Does Age Really Matter?
By Tiffany Orr, 09.20.06

Fifty. A man who is 50 years old or older is too old to have kids according to Tyler, a 28-year old male staff writer for a newspaper.

Peter, a 22 year-old aircraft mechanic agrees with Tyler. He said people who are too old to have meaningful interactions with their children shouldn’t be parents. When pressed for a specific age, he said anyone over the age of 50.

Though both men chose different maximum ages, the reasoning behind their choices was remarkably similar -- the same in fact. They both acknowledged that though men are biologically capable of having children until the time they die, men who chose to do so were irresponsible.

To illustrate their reasoning they painted several scenarios. One involved an elderly father who was physically unable to play with his kids due to his advanced age. Another example was that the likelihood of an old father seeing his kid go to high school is slim. They also said children will probably tease kids who have old parents.

Generally speaking, people have children with the intention of playing an active role in their children’s lives, witnessing the outcome of all their hard parental work.

Medical research released earlier this year, from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and UC Berkeley, also supports Peter and Tyler’s proposed “age bracket.” The research has linked advanced paternal age to autism, Apert syndrome (a disorder characterized by craniofacial and limb abnormalities), achondroplasia (a skeletal disorder that causes dwarfism) and even schizophrenia because sperm from older males seems to mutate more than that of younger males.

Something else to consider, is that young parents can be physically unable to play with their children, not only due to age-related health reasons, but also to the demands of professional life. Whereas an older, financially stable parent would have more time and money to give their children what they need, according to recent research.

Though conventional wisdom says more older people die than younger people, death is one of those things we don’t plan that can happen to anyone.

In the end, age should not be of huge concern in reference to parenthood. Just look at all the kids who are being raised by their grandparents. Most of them turn out just fine. I think, as with all things people have to weigh the pros and cons. Older men don’t necessarily need to ask themselves whether or not they will be able to see their children graduate from high school as much as they need to ask themselves if they be able to provide a loving, financially stable environment for their children.