fureverywhere
beloved friend who will always be with us in spiri
- Location
- Northern NJ, USA
We all know celebrities often take things to the extreme because they can. I was just reading that at 73, Mick Jagger is going to be a Daddy again. That's eight kids between four different women. Bet his family reunions must be a tad awkward. But how do you feel about men having children well into their golden years? Is it fair to the child that they may only have their father for perhaps two decades at best? Or can the quality of time make up for the limited quantity? Jagger strikes me as a bit ridiculous. But for some men who meet that special person late in life it might make sense. Tony Randall was 77 when his daughter was born and the next year a son. I don't know...I can say from the view of a 54 year old woman, yes I would have more patience and wisdom. But the sleepless nights, potty training, school age stuff, I don't know if I'd have the energy anymore.
Tony Randall, the actor most famous for his TV role as fastidious Felix Unger on The Odd Couple, created a stir in 1997 when he announced that his second wife Heather, 25, was expecting a child. Randall was 77 years old at the time. His first marriage of 50 years, ending with his wife Florence's death in 1992, produced no children. Randall's situation was an oddity: U.S. birth statistics indicate that only about one-tenth of one percent of American children are fathered by men over 60 years old, much less someone nearing 80. Randall learned of the stork's impending visit in 1996, while rehearsing for a production of A Christmas Carol in New York City. Randall was giddily anticipating becoming a father despite his advanced age. “What I look forward to,” he said, “is when the kid is 15 and we go out in the yard to play ball. I’ll only be 90.” (Tony's arithmetic was a little bit off the mark.) But Randall never made it to 90. He was 84 when he died in 2004, leaving behind not only a 7-year-old daughter, Julia, but also a 6-year-old son, Jefferson. The mere fact that Randall was becoming a first-time father as a septuagenarian bothered a lot of people. They complained that although Randall was financially well off, he was virtually guaranteeing his children would be fatherless at an early age. Sociologists' opinions varied. Some claimed that lower testosterone in elderly men made them better suited for parenthood because they were more nurturing. Others suggested Randall was being selfish at the expense of his children's well-being. Still others maintained it was only the business of the Randall family. After Randall's death, his widow admitted in an interview with Larry King that she had not adequately prepared her children for the likelihood of their father dying while they were young.
Tony Randall, the actor most famous for his TV role as fastidious Felix Unger on The Odd Couple, created a stir in 1997 when he announced that his second wife Heather, 25, was expecting a child. Randall was 77 years old at the time. His first marriage of 50 years, ending with his wife Florence's death in 1992, produced no children. Randall's situation was an oddity: U.S. birth statistics indicate that only about one-tenth of one percent of American children are fathered by men over 60 years old, much less someone nearing 80. Randall learned of the stork's impending visit in 1996, while rehearsing for a production of A Christmas Carol in New York City. Randall was giddily anticipating becoming a father despite his advanced age. “What I look forward to,” he said, “is when the kid is 15 and we go out in the yard to play ball. I’ll only be 90.” (Tony's arithmetic was a little bit off the mark.) But Randall never made it to 90. He was 84 when he died in 2004, leaving behind not only a 7-year-old daughter, Julia, but also a 6-year-old son, Jefferson. The mere fact that Randall was becoming a first-time father as a septuagenarian bothered a lot of people. They complained that although Randall was financially well off, he was virtually guaranteeing his children would be fatherless at an early age. Sociologists' opinions varied. Some claimed that lower testosterone in elderly men made them better suited for parenthood because they were more nurturing. Others suggested Randall was being selfish at the expense of his children's well-being. Still others maintained it was only the business of the Randall family. After Randall's death, his widow admitted in an interview with Larry King that she had not adequately prepared her children for the likelihood of their father dying while they were young.
