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Ethan's Top Five Reasons To Be Happy about the Prospect of Being an Older Parent:
1. Older parents are less likely to be competitive with their children. Fifty-year-old fathers don't try to beat their 17-year-old sons at basketball. (At least, they don't try twice.) Fifty-year-old mothers don't hope to be mistaken for their daughter's sister. A 30-plus-year age gap between child and parent allows enough separation so that the relationship doesn't turn creepy.
2. Maturity is a more valuable parenting asset than physical stamina. Yes, parenting is a physical challenge but it is first and foremost an emotional challenge. Having the energy to weather the many crises of raising children is less important than having the poise to stay calm throughout.
3. (Ancillary to #1) As an older parent, you are less likely to embarrass your teenage sons and daughters by trying to act "cool," "street," or "hip." Being uncool is your destiny as a parent. Age lets you wear the mantle with dignity and grace.
4. Older parents are less likely to struggle financially. While money doesn't buy happiness for a child, it does buy pretty much everything else.
5. Older parents have more wisdom to pass along to their children. Twenty-five-year-olds may think they're adults in full but 35-year-olds know better.
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More on the above topic can be found in chapter 1: "Confessions of a 'Never-Married.'"
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The complete list of Ethan's Top Five!
Ethan's Top Five Things to Tell Your Parents When You Are Still Single at Age 30 (or 35, or 40)
Ethan's Top Five Reasons To Be Happy about the Prospect of Being an Older Parent
Ethan's Top Five Reasons Why Cupid Still Has a Pulse on College Campuses
Ethan's Top Five Reasons Why a Marriage Delayed Is a Marriage Improved
Ethan's Top Five Reasons Why Being in an Urban Tribe Is Bad for Your Love Life
Ethan's Top Five Frustrations Women Express about Men They've Begun to Date
Ethan's Top Five Things Urban Tribes Should Avoid
Ethan's Top Five Guidelines to Dating within Your Urban Tribe
Ethan's Top Five Reasons Why Today's Young Adults Are Freer than any Generation in American History (Part One)
Ethan's Top Five Reasons Why Today's Young Adults Are Freer than any Generation in American History (Part Two)
Ethan's Top Five Stupidest Lines from The Rules
Ethan's Top Five Stupidest Things He Had To Read While Researching His Book
Ethan's Top Five Ways To Introduce A New Romantic Partner To Your Tribe
Ethan's Top Five Ways to Build and Maintain an Urban Tribe
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