"I always knew I wanted a big family, but I got a late start. My first child was born when I was 31 and my husband was 33. It was the right time for us, but many people said I was too old to have more children unless I had them quickly. Nevertheless, I went on to have three more over a period of nearly 10 years."
"When my kids were younger, I laughed off concerns about how old I would be when my children graduated from high school or whether I would be around to see them get married. Now that my kids are growing and I feel my own age more acutely, I worry about not being around for them as they wind their way through becoming adults. Even worse, I worry that they won't have other family around them either."
"I have a big, wonderful family filled with cousins, aunts, and uncles. It's the kind of family where no one distinguishes between a first cousin and a fifth, in-laws or blood relatives, because family is family. There is always an event or a holiday to celebrate together, at least for those who live nearby. Yet, cultivating a relationship between my children and their extended family has been much harder than I expected."
A parent began childbearing at 31 and had four children across nearly ten years, with the youngest born just before turning 40. Earlier concerns about being too old were dismissed, but advancing age now raises fears about not being present for children's major life events. The parent deeply wants children to form strong bonds with extended family to ensure emotional support and memories if the parent is gone. A large, loving extended family exists, yet distance and logistical challenges have made cultivating close relationships between the children and relatives difficult.
Read at Business Insider
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