Del Boy was no plonker in taking the mature option

Sheena Macrae weighs up the pros and cons of having a more mature father

MADONNA did it at 41. Iman was 44 and Cherie Blair was all of 45. The world record of 63 was set by American Arceli Keh in 1997 - although she did have a little help by means of in-vitro fertilisation.

It has always been possible for women in their 40s to give birth, but thanks to recent medical advances, it has become a lot safer. Yet there are still dangers associated with becoming an older mum. There is, for instance, the increased probability of having a child with Down's Syndrome, plus a higher risk of being affected by breast cancer.

The risk of miscarriage also rises, from 10% for women in their early 20s to an alarming 34% for women aged 40-plus. Despite such worries, however, a trend for giving birth later has already been established. Women are on average having their first child at the age of 29, and celebrities show no sign of giving in to their biological clocks.

Things have always been different for men. They seem able to father children at virtually any age and not have to think twice about it. Recent older fathers include film star Michael Douglas (56), journalist John Humphrys (56) and actor David Jason - a first- time father at 61.

By and large, older fathers enjoy a more positive press. Unlike older mothers, they are unlikely to be bombarded with newspaper and magazine articles implying that they may be harming their babies. Instead, men who father children later in life are often the focus of light-hearted banter while the old devils' long-lived virility is seen as a source of celebration.

Until now, that is. New research by psychiatrists in Israel threatens to put a damper on the matter, by uncovering a possible link between children with older fathers and schizophrenia.

The Israeli study of nearly 90,000 individuals born in Jerusalem between 1964-1976 was designed to investigate whether the risk of schizophrenia was associated with advancing paternal age. It showed that males aged between 45 and 49 were twice as likely as under-25s to father a child with some sort of birth defect, or who later developed mental illness. There was also a difference of more than four times the risk of schizophrenia between the youngest and oldest paternal age category.

More research is required before any definite conclusions can be drawn, says Carol Bates, education and development officer of The Royal College of Midwives. She believes, however, that the research may signal a shift in society's attitudes towards parenthood. "Until recently," she explains, "there was not much said about fathers. This research is in its early stages, and should therefore be treated with caution. Still, this is the first time there has been anything like this covered in the media."

Public consciousness of the role of fatherhood is growing, she says, adding that in a way, the whole idea of motherhood has in a way been deconstructed. "Fathers are now speaking up more, saying 'We're here too!'" And while the 1970s was a time of liberation for women, Bates believes the 21st century may well be a time of liberation for men.

In the meantime, for men having children in their twilight years, there are quite clearly advantages. "You have time on your side now," said Michael Douglas. "Your ambitions are different. I've sort of proven what I needed to prove about making movies and producing them." For older fathers like Douglas, financial security, perhaps more time to spend with their children, particularly after their retirement, and emotional maturity can be some of the enormous advantages.

But emotional maturity comes with a price-tag. The 60-year-old dad might be mentally willing to challenge his lively 10-year-old to a game of footie, but sometimes, a body that's lived through six decades can let you down. After more than 20 years researching fathers, Dr Charlie Lewis, professor of family and developmental psychology at Lancaster University, concluded that, with a few exceptions, older fathers do have less energy, and tend to favour sedentary activities with their children.

For the older father, there is also the harsh reality that they may not see their children through high school, university, college or into a career. Is it really fair then to have your children so late on in life?

My own parents were 43 and 44 when I was born. As the youngest of three, I had it all. The older brother and sister to fight with and the loving parents who, for want of a better phrase, had a bit of "life experience" on their side.

And I can honestly say that my parents' age was never really an issue. It was other people who seemed intent on making a big deal out of it, the reasons for which I am still trying to understand.

Children can be very cruel sometimes; and there were occasions when the comments of my contemporaries were cutting, but guileless - quite literally out of the mouths of babes. At other times, however, they were malicious.

Towards the end of my primary school years, I realised that having parents who were older than those of my friends was going to be the subject of some degree of ridicule.

I'll never forget the day when my father came to collect me from school, and a smirking girl said: "Hey Sheena, how come your Grandad is picking you up ... ?"

An innocent remark? No. That girl had met my father previously, and knew exactly who he was. This was sheer spite. Red-faced, I got into the car and went home. For a long time afterwards, I couldn't stop thinking about her comments. And as it turned out, that nasty little jibe was not a one-off.

Once, when some friends were visiting my house, there was an old vinyl record of The Beatles' When I'm Sixty-Four, lying on a chair. A "friend" noticed it, and the next day at school, he teased me constantly about it. "Your Dad's really sad," he said, "imagine listening to The Beatles. My Gran listens to them and they're naff." Wonder if this same little boy, now grown-up, was one of the CD- buying public who put The Beatles' Number Ones album to the top of the charts.

My father has only good things to say about having children later in life. He feels he had a lot more life experience to offer and, because his main interest outside of work was music, that this was something he could pass on.

Our tastes in music may be drastically different, to the extent that he feels the need to switch off the car stereo as soon as I change the frequency to something a bit more "modern". Clearly, in my father's book, the old ones are the best.

Musical differences apart, the financial security which often accompanies maturity has, my father believes, been a big bonus. He had more time on his hands, which meant he taught me how to drive (his way, of course) and had the patience to listen to my ranting and raving afterwards.

And if it's not obvious enough by now - thanks Dad. Sometimes, the old ones really are the best.

Copyright 2001
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