[jay00]

I believe one reason that is rarely talked about is that having children later in life makes you more tired than if you had them in your 20s. In the times when people were having more children, they were having them early. We all now how it is easier to shrug off a sleepless night in your 20s than in your 30s. We use that advantage to stay out drinking more when we are young, but it was probably evolved to help stay up at night when children were crying. So I think our cultural child bearing age is now misaligned from our biological adaptations, it feels exhausting to have children in your 30s

[Balgair]

After our first, I felt like I gained superpowers (okay, not super, somehowpowers?). Especially with the lack of sleep. Even a month beforehand, that lack of sleep would have wrecked me. I mean, it still did, but somehow I just no longer cared. With my kid in my arms, the lack of sleep just seemed like a thing that was happening, the anxiety or 'wrongness' about not sleeping was gone. My body for sure still felt the effects. But my mind was cleared of the issues surrounding the lack of sleep. There was my child, needing help of some sort or another, and here I was, the parent. End of story. Gone were the thoughts that a lack of sleep would ever stop me from doing what needed to be done for my kid. Weather that be food, or my job, or groceries, or cleaning, whatever. If my kid needed me to get it done, it just got done, all the complaints in my mind about being too tired seemed, well, childish.

I don't want to denigrate any parent. It's a tough thing to do. And it is exhausting. But, at least for me, once I became a parent, I just stopped caring that I was exhausted. When that screaming pooping little money sucker comes toddling over to you with a huge smile on the face after you walk in the room from work or wherever, all those worries and fears just somehow melt away and you just think to yourself how lucky you are to have any of it.

I guess what I'm saying is that if you think you want to have kids, don't let your lack of energy due to age be a factor. Kids give you the energy.

[sukki07]

+1 for 'We all now how it is easier to shrug off a sleepless night in your 20s than in your 30s.'

[DeathArrow]

>I believe one reason that is rarely talked about is that having children later in life makes you more tired than if you had them in your 20s

I had my first kid at 38 and second at 41. Age didn't stop me.

[jay00]

Congrats!