Tragically Carmen Bousada, the World’s oldest Mum has died aged 69, leaving her 2 year old twin boys parentless. She had lied about her age, claiming to be 55, in order to get round the Los Angeles fertility clinics maximum age limit.
There is an arguement that parents can die tragically at any age, and yes this is true, however it does get more likely the older we get. It is also more likely that, in the event of a tragedy, the family of those who die younger with young children, are young enough to be able to take over the required childcare responsibilities.
I accept that young mums aren’t neccesarily always the best either but at least there is the posibility that have the help and support of parents, siblings and other family members if they are struggling. It is when we have our own children that we need the love and support of our parents, especially our mums, more than ever and these children are more likely to be denied this special wisdom, help and support.
While I would never want to deny anyone the joys of parenthood, there are other incredibly rewarding possibilities, such as fostering or volunteering at one of the many charitable organisations supporting stuggling new parents. Is it time that we looked at the rights of the children to have parents?