Why men who wait for father's day have good cause to celebrate

Rod Stewart has certainly found himself in distinguished company.

Yesterday it was announced the singer's wife, Penny Lancaster, is pregnant with the couple's second child and with the baby due just a few weeks after Stewart's 66th birthday in January, the league of older dads had reason to celebrate.

Already in the ranks are Jonathan Dimbleby, who became a father again at 62 when his second wife Jessica Ray gave birth to a daughter Daisy in 2007 and both Michael Douglas and John Humphrys were both 56 years old when they again heard the patter of tiny feet.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Unsurprisingly, Stewart was prepared for the inevitable questions of how a pensioner, albeit one with a more colourful history than most, would cope with the demands of fatherhood.

"I'm a pretty good 65 and have every intention of being a really strong 85, too," he said. "As a parent of a new child, I'll maybe only be around for 25 years at most. But it will be a happy, loving 25 years.

"The most important thing is I can afford it and have got the time.

"It makes you want to keep very fit. I don't drink as much as I used to and exercise four times a week."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Recent years have seen a deluge of reports warning of the perils of becoming a father later in life, with various studies suggesting the children of older dads have an increased risk of everything from autism to bipolar disorder.

Yet whenever Stewart or some similarly high profile older man announces they are about to add to the human race, any unkind comments are

usually drowned out by the sound of backs being slapped.

"There's a certain amount of kudos which comes when a 60-something man fathers a child with a much younger woman," says psych-ologist Dr

Sandra Wheatley. "When Charlie Chaplin had his 11th child at 73, people joked about him not being able to bend down to pick him up, but

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

there was none of the venom which is directed towards older mothers.

"Of course, it's different for women. Older fathers don't have to go through an exhausting labour and their generally much younger partners are happy to take charge of the exhausting day-to-day responsibilities of caring for a young child. However, despite what we might think, becoming a father at 50, or even 60 and 70 does have its benefits.

"While older fathers might well have less energy, they are also likely to be more financially secure and have more time to spend with the child. One of the biggest complaints from younger fathers is that they spend so much time at work they miss out on their child growing up.

"Rod Stewart had his first child 30 years ago and since then the

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

concept of fatherhood has changed massively. We've gone from the time when men wouldn't dream of being at the birth and balk at the idea of

changing nappies through the extremes of the new man phenomenon.

"Now, thankfully, we find ourselves at some kind of happy medium where new fathers just like new mothers make it up as they go along.

"For many older men a second chance at fatherhood is something they really cherish."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Certainly that was the case for Martin Holt, who became a father for the first time at the age of 50. He now has two children and absolutely no regrets about starting a family later in life.

"I have much more patience and understanding than I had when I was 25," says Holt, a contributor to the online parental support network, www.wholefamily.com.

"There is of course a downside as the years slip by. While the summer holidays are an eternity for my children, for me they are frighteningly swift. When I am 80, my son will be 30 and my daughter still in her 20s and I do wonder whether I will ever see them get married or have grandchildren.

"However, I try not to predict the future and when a tiny little hand comes out of nowhere to hold mine, I know the age difference means

nothing at all."