TRUE or FALSE: Older mums have more patience?

A recent study out of Denmark says older mothers have more patience and don’t yell at their children as much.

Researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark found “older mothers do not scold or physically discipline their children as much as those who give birth at a younger age,” The Independent reports.

The study, which involved a survey of 4,741 mothers in Denmark, also found the older the mother, the better a child’s language and social skills were – “regardless of factors including background, education and finances.”

“We know that people become more mentally flexible with age, are more tolerant of other people and thrive better emotionally themselves,” said Professor Dion Sommer, who led the research.

“That’s why psychological maturity may explain why older mothers do not scold and physically discipline their children as much.”

“This style of parenting can thereby contribute to a positive psychosocial environment which affects the children’s upbringing.”

Older mothers with teenagers continued to scold their children verbally less often than younger mothers, but for children aged 15, there was no difference in how often they received physical sanctions depending on their mother’s age.

We also know older parents are often more confident and settled in life.

Age does have a downside

However studies on the effect of age on childbirth reports an increase in the frequency of pregnancy complications such as high blood pressure, pregnancy-induced diabetes , bleeding in the third trimester, and low lying placenta.

The incidence of pregnancy complications rises from 10.43 per cent for women aged 20-29, to 19.29 per cent for women aged between 35 and 39 years.

Women of 35 and over are more likely to have induced labour, diagnosis of fetal distress, epidural anaesthesia, or forceps or ventouse delivery, and virtually all studies agree that the rate of caesareans rises with maternal age.

Share your comments below.

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14 Comments

- - mom94125 said
  - 13 Oct 2017
    7:52 pm
i think that it really depends on the individual person! we all have different temperements

- - mom206279 said
  - 05 May 2017
    7:10 pm
I think I’m more rational now. But nothing in the world could make me want to have a kid past the age of 35

- - mom81879 said
  - 14 Apr 2017
    9:10 am
I think I am much calmer and much more laid back now. But I’m not sure that’s how I would be if I had a screaming new born in the house

- - june11 said
  - 02 Apr 2017
    3:24 pm
Lest’s face it – some Mums are only in their teens or very early 20s and just aren’t ready to sacrifice their time and effort, then miraculously expect their children to do nothing wrong.

- - tessie said
  - 02 Apr 2017
    12:01 pm
I stopped yelling as much when I got older but I think it’s more to do with holding it in more, not because I’ve become more tolerant.

- - mom101628 said
  - 30 Mar 2017
    10:33 pm
I seemed to have much more patience as a young mum than I do now.

- - ella12 said
  - 29 Mar 2017
    4:45 pm
Hmm, I don’t know about all of this.

- - Ellen said
  - 28 Mar 2017
    1:39 pm
I’m an older mum and yes, I’ve become more patient over the years.

- - mom160421 said
  - 28 Mar 2017
    9:47 am
I’m an older mum but I don’t know if my behaviour would have been any different had I been a younger mother.
- mom93821 replied
  
  29 Mar 2017 , 7:24 am
  I feel it does depend on personality too – there are so many factors involved in these surveys and research projects.
- - rachel1970 said
  - 27 Mar 2017
    7:59 pm
interesting. I’m an older Mum but shamefully say, I do yell at the kids-just did when I was trying to read this article and they were making lots of noise and I couldn’t concentrate. Wish I didn’t yell as much though.

- - mom93821 said
  - 27 Mar 2017
    7:28 pm
A small but interesting study – would be good to know how they calculated the results. There are pros and cons for all ages of motherhood.

- - mom109199 said
  - 27 Mar 2017
    3:22 pm
I was an older mother and I agree with this article. I felt less pressure to be perfect and I just let my daughter set the pace of feeding, etc. I did discipline her when I felt she needed it, but I mostly tried to reason with her or explain why we don’t do certain things (like touch a hot stove or bite people, etc.). I hate screaming, so that only ever happened if there was not other way. I think that because I didn’t scream and yell a lot, when I did it stopped her in her tracks.

- - rovermum said
  - 27 Mar 2017
    3:11 pm
Personally, I think younger Mums would have more patient. As an older mum, I was more settled in my ways and routines. I believe having a child was a greater shock to my system, lifestyle, and routines.