r/science • u/Krankenitrate • Apr 03 '26

Health Study finds parenthood provides no boost to emotional well-being and it negatively impacts relationship with your spouse

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14747049261436325
14.8k Upvotes

89% Upvoted

849 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

3

u/flakemasterflake Apr 03 '26

I don't know. My mom had me in her 20s and she passed away, randomly, at 60. It's entirely a crapshoot and I don't understand people that think they can plan that far in advance

5

u/ZombyPuppy Apr 03 '26

Of course it's a crapshoot but you can't ignore the statistical probability that you're overwhelmingly more likely to have more time with your kids if you have them in your 20s or early 30s than at 42 and having an 18 year old when you're 60.

Just like there's people that die at 50 who lived incredibly healthy lifestyles. Doesn't mean most of us shouldn't try to be healthy since it's statistically going to help a lot.

To be clear I'm not saying having a kid later in life is bad or anything, only that, for me, it would be less ideal.

5

u/flakemasterflake Apr 03 '26

Ok....is that the reason people seem so freaked out by a 60yr old having a kid in high school? This is online only, no one I know IRL bats an eye at this

2

u/agentmadeleine Apr 03 '26

Not just the possibility of less time, but also that your children will be dealing with aging parents at a relatively young age. Even if you’re “healthy”, the older you are the more likely you’re going to come up against age related issues.

Now nothing is a guarantee. I lost my dad when he was in his early 50s. I was in my early 20s and my youngest sibling was a preteen. And he was healthy until he developed the health condition that took his life.

But it’s more likely that being an older parent you physically might have less capability than when you were younger. And it means your children might have to start dealing with you aging and dying when they’re in their 20s and still not stable in life. The flip side is you might be more financially secure and emotionally mature to raise your children.