Age Limit for Motherhood?

Does anyone believe there is an age limit to motherhood?  That after a certain age a woman just should NOT get pregnant? 

I was watching The Talk on my lunch break the other day at work.  I'm kind of mad at this show they got rid of two of the hosts, one of which was probably my favorite, but I digress.  The show has taken a more serious tone now I think.  And on this day they mentioned the New York magazine cover which shows a 63 year old woman, naked and pregnant.  Now the model for the cover is not really pregnant.  But the article talks about women over 50 having babies.

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I have to admit, the first thought that entered my head was that's just not right.  Women in their 50s should not be having babies.  It's almost hard to imagine that it's even possible.  But now I think I have changed my attitude on that. 

One of the hosts mentioned that the average woman lives to be 80.  So if she had a child at 59 that child would be 21 when the mother died if she lives to the average age of 80.  She also mentioned the positives of being older and more mature and more patient and maybe a better parent.  Maybe not better, but wiser. 

I'm curious if children would behave better if their parents were older or would they be more likely to behave worse because the parents don't have the time or energy to discipline them and keep up with what their child is actually doing.  I guess it depends on the person.  But my guess is that if you feel too tired to keep up with a child you wouldn't be having one in your 50s in the first place.  But I don't like that it's more socially acceptable for men to father babies well into their 50s and 60s, but it becomes a public outcry when a woman considers becoming a mother at that age.   

I have to say I love that it's even an option.  That it's becoming more common for women to have children later in life.  I will be 27 in a matter of months and I'm not married and children are probably pretty far off for me.  Maybe by 35 I'll have one.  By that time, most of my high school school class mates will be having kids in high school themselves.  Everyone is different though and I don't think one is better than the other.

Another thing that struck me today in thinking about the search for love is why do we expect it to be easy?  Of all the people in this world do we really think we're going to find our love, our soul mate on the first try?  It's incredible for those that do, but the odds aren't really in our favor.  So why do we get so discouraged when it takes us a while to find that special person?  Just because we haven't found him by 25 doesn't mean we won't ever find him or her.  It's actually a little encouraging I think.  I'm not going to get down because I haven't bumped into the love of my life yet.  It means either I'm not ready or I'm just not in the right place yet.  But I believe I will be one day. 

Happy weekend friends.