A survey conducted by The Independent newspaper, claims that one in five mothers believes they had a baby too late in life. Researchers who surveyed 2,000 women aged 18 and upwards found many regret not having a child when they were younger. More than half who felt this way believed they struggled to keep up with their child due to their age.
One in six also thought they would have coped better with the pressures of being a new mother if they had become a parent sooner. Nearly a quarter, i.e. 23%, felt very aware of the age difference between themselves and other new mothers. Of those who wished they had had a baby when they were younger, one in twenty, i.e. 5% said having a child later in life had a detrimental effect on their relationship.
26 was identified as the ideal age to become a first-time mother whilst 38 was the threshold for being regarded as an “old mum”.
The poll suggested that there is a trend for modern parents to have children later in life and half said that they were older than their own mother when they themselves became a parent.
These results appear to show that whilst there are challenges with being a young mother, there are also so many more positives. One of the participants was 15 when she became a mother. She said, “Becoming a teen mum made me the person I am today (…). It’s a testing journey but as a teenager, you just get on with it”.
The Independent, Rob Knight (12/09/2018) – One in five mothers believe they had children ‘too late’ in life, survey says