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Clearly they are reporting the findings, but what would interest me is exploring the benefits to children of older fathers and establishing at which point the c

Clearly they are reporting the findings, but what would interest me is exploring the benefits to children of older fathers and establishing at which point the competing forces balance. The obvious factor is increased wealth - this tends to be backloaded, thus there is a benefit from greater available income to spend on a child, whether this is in the form of better nutrition, better education, greater parental availability (not universally going to increase with age, but the option is more easily there for a well off father vs a father just making ends meet) Other factors may be less clear, less universal and probably not so widely agreed: things such as an older father potentially having a child with fewer siblings or being more settled (in a maturity sense). And finally, it would be interesting to look at this in a two generation scale: what of children born to young fathers but where those fathers themselves had older fathers? Is the effect passed on or does it get reset?

User23 8y ago
I can offer a personal anecdote here. When I was born, my father was a very healthy 50 who didn't drink or smoke and who got regular aerobic and resistance exercise. He took an early retirement buyout when he was in his mid 50s, so as a toddler I had a ton of time with him and it was, from my perspective at least, absolutely wonderful. He also had children and grandchildren already, and that experience was likewise quite beneficial. So I can confirm that in at least some cases there are benefits to having an older father. I have no doubt that there are drawbacks also. One of the obvious ones is that on average you will have your father in your life for much less time. If you're going to have children later in life, man or woman, make sure you've been looking after your health and continue to do so. Young persons can take much more abuse and remain healthy, older ones can't.
poppypetalmask 8y ago
I've always thought Atticus Finch as the most ideal father.

User23 8y ago

I can offer a personal anecdote here. When I was born, my father was a very healthy 50 who didn't drink or smoke and who got regular aerobic and resistance exercise. He took an early retirement buyout when he was in his mid 50s, so as a toddler I had a ton of time with him and it was, from my perspective at least, absolutely wonderful. He also had children and grandchildren already, and that experience was likewise quite beneficial. So I can confirm that in at least some cases there are benefits to having an older father. I have no doubt that there are drawbacks also. One of the obvious ones is that on average you will have your father in your life for much less time. If you're going to have children later in life, man or woman, make sure you've been looking after your health and continue to do so. Young persons can take much more abuse and remain healthy, older ones can't.

poppypetalmask 8y ago

I've always thought Atticus Finch as the most ideal father.