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I have a father who is much, much older than myself. He was almost fifty years old when he had me (my mother was his second wife). When I tell people how old my father is I see them do a double take—they’re trying to figure out if I’m much older than I appear. I have to stop them, say that while I wish I was someone who looked twenty years younger than I am, I actually am this young, and my dad is that old. Men can do that, I suppose—stay fertile long past the age that women can. I’m glad my dad is my dad, and I wouldn’t have any other. I wouldn’t be who I am if my dad weren’t who he is. But sometimes, I do feel like I miss out on certain things because he is just so many decades older than myself. When I was a little girl, I didn’t really notice, but now, I’m a young adult and my dad is, well, kind of an old man. That’s not usually how that goes. Here is what it’s like having a much older parent.
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There’s pressure to marry sooner
My dad wants to see me get married and we’re dealing with a race against time. My boyfriend and I don’t feel that we will want to get married for at least another five years but my dad will be in his eighties by then, if we are lucky. And we may not even get married for another ten years. Either way, my dad wants to see me walk down the aisle and I can’t promise that will happen.
