Why Older Moms May Have a Leg Up When It Comes to Raising Kids

By SheSpeaksTeam Mar 24, 2017

Many women struggle with the question of when is best to start a family. We’re often told that if we wait too long we may have a more difficult time for a number of reasons. But now there is some new science pointing to real benefits of being an older mom that just may convince some that it’s okay to wait.

Time reports about a study published in The European Journal of Developmental Psychology that suggests older moms are more patient with their children and in turn their kids have less behavioral and social problems than those that have younger moms. Children of older moms also tend to be more physically fit, do better in school and are even a little taller than their peers who were born to younger moms.

All of this may have something to do with the benefits of advancing education or a career before making the decision to start a family. With the extra time to find financial stability, moms may be better suited to provide educational opportunities for kids. Also, more money can sometimes mean better nutrition for mom throughout her pregnancy.

Aside from well-adjusted and well-behaved kids, older moms also seemed to gain some health benefits from reproducing later in life. Researchers found that women who had their first child after 25 had an 11% greater chance of living until age 90. And women who have a child at age 33 or older are a whopping 50% likelier to make it to age 95 than women who stop bearing children by the age of 29. Perhaps running after kids helps us to stay active for longer.

What do you think of the new study that suggests having kids later in life may come with unforeseen benefits?

Was your age a consideration when you thought about planning your family?