An interesting article! I certainly agree that children are valuable to families, cultures, societies and governments. A few points:
It seems to me though that the best reason to have children is because you love to raise children (as you yourself often display your delight in your kids and obviously spend much pleasant time in their company). When people of any age or intelligence raise children solely for abstract reasons (to follow tradition, perpetuate their culture etc.) but don't enjoy or have any inclination to raise them well, the resulting neglect and abuse is disastrous for the children, the family and the country they will grow up to harm.
Older fathers do indeed have many advantages, but one disadvantage you didn't spend much time on is that they may not just die sooner - they may need long-term intensive care while the children are still minors. This could mean that the wife's attention is split between her children, her parents and her husband, all dependent solely on her (to the detriment of everyone). Societies with large extended families living near each other have more options, of course. Governments these days don't have the resources to pick up the slack.
A final thing I wanted to mention is that "white" is not a culture. There are Norwegians and French and Estonians etc etc with distinctly different cultures. Their members may wish to ensure their kids preserve their practices, but they don't have a lot in common just by being white. Same as "black" or "brown". Berber aren't Hausa, who aren't Igbo or Zulu. Cultures and ethnicities involve much subtler things than melanin level. Studies looking for racial differences have instead found far more diversity within populations (about 90%) than between populations on different continents. Also, humans overall are very genetically homogenous compared to other species. We evolved relatively recently from a small number of breeding pairs. Maybe rather than perpetuating and worshipping differences, we should concentrate on the welfare of our species as a whole before we kill each other off.
Thanks again for the interesting read, and best wishes to you and your family!
Another great article, thanks Graham. On "Why would an older man start a family?" I might add that fatherhood presents opportunities for maturing intellectually and emotionally that are perhaps simply unavailable elsewhere. Anecdotally, it is at times difficult for a parent to make a point about children to folks that have never raised one. Also partly as a result, childless folks engaged in important policy decisions sometimes make very curious choices. Just a thought.
Absolutely right. Many European heads of state have had no children. Merkel, Macron, Johnson. They routinely sell out the future in favor of the present.
You are right about the health. More than half my peers have already died. However, in most cases you could see it coming a decade or more in advance. If you marry an older guy who still loves to hike, dance and bicycle you are probably making a good bet.
Dating tips for would-be May brides of December grooms. Count the bottles in his medicine chest. Listen to his excuses for not carrying your luggage, getting your cat out of a tree, or shoveling your snow.
Actuarily, my life expectancy at this point is 8.6 years. But that's averages. My wife is betting I'll make it closer to 100. I think she's closer to the mark. Most important, I'm confident I'll be able to take care of the kids, home school them and such, while it's needed.
Right again about different ethnicities. However, despite our differences we Europeans are more similar than Europeans to others - say Igbo or Druze. I've bridged the gap with Vietnamese and Japanese-American wives. It is easier this time with a Ukrainian.
An interesting article! I certainly agree that children are valuable to families, cultures, societies and governments. A few points:
It seems to me though that the best reason to have children is because you love to raise children (as you yourself often display your delight in your kids and obviously spend much pleasant time in their company). When people of any age or intelligence raise children solely for abstract reasons (to follow tradition, perpetuate their culture etc.) but don't enjoy or have any inclination to raise them well, the resulting neglect and abuse is disastrous for the children, the family and the country they will grow up to harm.
Older fathers do indeed have many advantages, but one disadvantage you didn't spend much time on is that they may not just die sooner - they may need long-term intensive care while the children are still minors. This could mean that the wife's attention is split between her children, her parents and her husband, all dependent solely on her (to the detriment of everyone). Societies with large extended families living near each other have more options, of course. Governments these days don't have the resources to pick up the slack.
A final thing I wanted to mention is that "white" is not a culture. There are Norwegians and French and Estonians etc etc with distinctly different cultures. Their members may wish to ensure their kids preserve their practices, but they don't have a lot in common just by being white. Same as "black" or "brown". Berber aren't Hausa, who aren't Igbo or Zulu. Cultures and ethnicities involve much subtler things than melanin level. Studies looking for racial differences have instead found far more diversity within populations (about 90%) than between populations on different continents. Also, humans overall are very genetically homogenous compared to other species. We evolved relatively recently from a small number of breeding pairs. Maybe rather than perpetuating and worshipping differences, we should concentrate on the welfare of our species as a whole before we kill each other off.
Thanks again for the interesting read, and best wishes to you and your family!
Another great article, thanks Graham. On "Why would an older man start a family?" I might add that fatherhood presents opportunities for maturing intellectually and emotionally that are perhaps simply unavailable elsewhere. Anecdotally, it is at times difficult for a parent to make a point about children to folks that have never raised one. Also partly as a result, childless folks engaged in important policy decisions sometimes make very curious choices. Just a thought.
Absolutely right. Many European heads of state have had no children. Merkel, Macron, Johnson. They routinely sell out the future in favor of the present.
You are right about the health. More than half my peers have already died. However, in most cases you could see it coming a decade or more in advance. If you marry an older guy who still loves to hike, dance and bicycle you are probably making a good bet.
Dating tips for would-be May brides of December grooms. Count the bottles in his medicine chest. Listen to his excuses for not carrying your luggage, getting your cat out of a tree, or shoveling your snow.
Actuarily, my life expectancy at this point is 8.6 years. But that's averages. My wife is betting I'll make it closer to 100. I think she's closer to the mark. Most important, I'm confident I'll be able to take care of the kids, home school them and such, while it's needed.
Right again about different ethnicities. However, despite our differences we Europeans are more similar than Europeans to others - say Igbo or Druze. I've bridged the gap with Vietnamese and Japanese-American wives. It is easier this time with a Ukrainian.