When We Make People

I was looking over these comments on when might be the best time to have kids.

It's obvious that this is one of those things that you can't paint over with a broad brush; there is no one way to go. Nonetheless, though, women's fertility peaks much earlier than we tend to start using it; that inclines me to think natural law might be guiding us to err on the early side. I'm personally inclined to think that being a 50-year old Grandpa might beat being a 80-year old Grandpa. And, first hand experience, the cost of having young children is vastly overrated.

But, I admit I'm biased (our first was born four weeks after my 23rd birthday), and more ignorant than not.

Not that I tend to want to wait for my peers before doing something cool myself, but the only - and I mean, only - downside to having kids early-20s is that parenting really creates a social divide between the fertile and waiting. Having kids creates a new consideration for literally everything you do. While childrens' presence is completely worthwhile and entirely refreshing, that consideration is really something that waiters cannot entirely grasp. That being said, I have a closeness with other parent friends now that I wouldn't otherwise have.