Reasonable age to become a Granddad?

[CIELLA]

A question really for the young-timers. Asking for a friend obviously, denial is imperative
The first hurdle being the psychological element - acceptance of a new title, which is clearly stigmatised with becoming an olde b@stid.
So just wondering what's the consensus of the PH masses for a reasonable age to gifted this new title

[Hammer67]

I was promoted to Grandpa in Jan.

I`m 54, my daughter is 27.

Seems about right to me, and I`m loving it.

[Ussrcossack]

34 around here

[Magnum 475]

I'm the other end of the range - at 50 I have two kids of 7 and 5.

Someone I was at school with became a grandfather at 31, which seems a bit early to me although I'm sure we have younger grandparents around somewhere. There's bound to be some on the 'a bit council' thread.

One of my friends is about to become a first-time grandmother at 49 - she had her son at 29, and he's just managed to get his new g/f knocked up, despite being in the second year of a four year degree (you can guess how well this has been received).

I'd say that the 'reasonable age' is 'when it happens' for most people.

[AJB88]

Ussrcossack said:

34 around here

I'm 33 and just becoming a dad.

[cjs racing.]

I became a step grandad aged 31, also the same age I became a first time father.

Yes I know, I sound council, but my wife is older than me.

[geeks]

My mums dad considered himself too young to be a grandad when I was born (I can sympathise he was about 40 and my mum just 18) and so I grew up calling him by his first name as did my younger brother (same with her stepdad as well actually). He has another 2 grandchildren from my mums younger brother who have only ever known him as Grandad though (though to be fair the older one was born when I was about 21!). To this day he still sulks if I ever call him grandad I do however consider myself very fortunate to have grown up with younger grandparents, some of the people I went to school with had barely any memories of their grandparents where as I had school holidays with them and my great grandparents (on my mums side) and have many, many fantastic memories of them and even remember my grandads black Capri 3.0 and his Sierra Cosworth (for the PH tie in of course), when we eventually lay them to rest (we lost my dads dad not too long before covid) a day that comes ever closer I will be sad but feel privileged to have known them at a time of their lives when they seemed like superheroes to younger me.

[Spare tyre]

geeks said:

My mums dad considered himself too young to be a grandad when I was born (I can sympathise he was about 40 and my mum just 18) and so I grew up calling him by his first name as did my younger brother (same with her stepdad as well actually). He has another 2 grandchildren from my mums younger brother who have only ever known him as Grandad though (though to be fair the older one was born when I was about 21!). To this day he still sulks if I ever call him grandad I do however consider myself very fortunate to have grown up with younger grandparents, some of the people I went to school with had barely any memories of their grandparents where as I had school holidays with them and my great grandparents (on my mums side) and have many, many fantastic memories of them and even remember my grandads black Capri 3.0 and his Sierra Cosworth (for the PH tie in of course), when we eventually lay them to rest (we lost my dads dad not too long before covid) a day that comes ever closer I will be sad but feel privileged to have known them at a time of their lives when they seemed like superheroes to younger me.

I’m an older parent so I doubt my folks will be around for much longer. It is a shame, but you win some you lose some

[mike74]

Ussrcossack said:

34 around here

Wales?

[thatsprettyshady]

Fella I work with is a grandad at 36.

His hair is very grey

[ARHarh]

My mate (honest) became a Grandad at 34. His excuse was he was irresistible to women and a bit too fertile for his own good. He made great Grandad by 56.. Reckons he could make Great, great, great Grandad by the time its over for him.

[mmm-five]

My dad was 38 when he became a grandad (my mum became a grandmother at 34)...they can blame my younger sister for that.

My dad and mum became great-grandparents at 62 and 58 respectively.

My nan became a great-great-grandparent at 81.

[The jiffle king]

I became a Dad at 45 and our parents are in their 70's and they do a great job but I think a few years younger would help them all. They can play with our little one but being down on the floor is a challenge for 3 of the 4 and it hit home when my Dad said "I'd like to see him go to school"

Nothing you can do about the age though but make the most of it

[Hub]

The age of grandparents is going to get older and older - most couples probably have kids well into their 30s now, and if their kids do the same then average grandparent age is going to be into their 70s. At the moment probably early 60s is the norm

[geeks]

Spare tyre said:

geeks said:

My mums dad considered himself too young to be a grandad when I was born (I can sympathise he was about 40 and my mum just 18) and so I grew up calling him by his first name as did my younger brother (same with her stepdad as well actually). He has another 2 grandchildren from my mums younger brother who have only ever known him as Grandad though (though to be fair the older one was born when I was about 21!). To this day he still sulks if I ever call him grandad I do however consider myself very fortunate to have grown up with younger grandparents, some of the people I went to school with had barely any memories of their grandparents where as I had school holidays with them and my great grandparents (on my mums side) and have many, many fantastic memories of them and even remember my grandads black Capri 3.0 and his Sierra Cosworth (for the PH tie in of course), when we eventually lay them to rest (we lost my dads dad not too long before covid) a day that comes ever closer I will be sad but feel privileged to have known them at a time of their lives when they seemed like superheroes to younger me.

I’m an older parent so I doubt my folks will be around for much longer. It is a shame, but you win some you lose some

Indeed, my parents are unlikely to ever be grandparents, at least in the traditional sense, Mrs geeks and I are unable to have any and although she has a son from a previous relationship he was in his teens when I met her (she is a bit older than me as well). My brother and his wife are currently going through the process to adopt as they are unable to have children either. There are days when I am sad about never being a proper dad, then there are days when I am glad as we can just pack up and do as we please, on all of those days though I couldn't be more proud of the man her son has become. You win some, you lose some.

[solo2]

I was 50 when I became a Grandparent for the first time, at 53 I now have two grandchildren from my daughter.

It's brilliant being a Grandparent and the bond I have with those little people is amazing.

[andygo]

I was late 50's when I crossed into grandparenthood.

It doesn't help though that both my elder grandaughters call me 'Gaga'. They may well be correct, but to be called it as a matter of course isn't great.

To be fair, both grandmas are called Gamar (then surname) and both grandads are similarly afflicted by being prefixed with the Gaga name. It's a family thing..

[BoRED S2upid]

ARHarh said:

My mate (honest) became a Grandad at 34. His excuse was he was irresistible to women and a bit too fertile for his own good. He made great Grandad by 56.. Reckons he could make Great, great, great Grandad by the time its over for him.

That’s impossible isn’t it? It’s surely a sign of bad parenting.

[boyse7en]

My parents became grandparents well into their 70s (mum was 74 and Dad was 75), but that was par for the course for my family. My own grandparents were all over 70 when i was born (apart from one, who had died in his 50s, years before i arrived) and were all dead by the time I went to secondary school.

I think there are advantages to being an older or a younger grandparent, and I don't think it is an issue for the kids at all (remember that at age 7 anyone over about 18 is just "old" whether they are 30 or 70)

[Got4wheels]

I had older Grandparents (my maternal Grandad was 67, Grandma sadly predeceased) when I was born and median age at 53 and 58.

My maternal Grandad sadly had health issues when I was born so it was far calmer spending time with him in comparison. Sadly he died when I was 5, but I do have fond memories and he taught me how to click my fingers! (Something I still give him credit for! )

Although I have far more memories with my paternal grandparents, it's hard watching my now 82 year old grandad decline well into Alzheimers and becoming a shell over the last few years. You can't be protected from that as an adult.

My parents are now 51 and 57 and I can't see my sister ever becoming a mum and neither can I see myself having children for years yet. Grandparents are only going to get older. You win some and you lose some.

Michael