Kind of a jump from the "asking someone their age" thread

[KristenR]

I have a friend who started writing for a local paper and her tag or signature states that she is a "young mother". I'm 31 and this friend is a couple years older than me so it caught me off guard. I sure the heck don't consider myself a "young" mother. I had my first kid at 25 but even that doesn't scream young to me. It got me thinking what the term implies to people.

 

What age range does the term "young mother" mean for you? Would you find it silly to hear a 30+ year old woman describe herself as such? Or do you think that as modern medicine helps women bear children later in life that now this term can fit a 30something?

 

What says the hive?

[susankenny]

I think your friend may be referring to the fact that she is newer mother with younger children. To me a "young" mother brings late teens or early twenties to mind.

 

 

Susan

[Momofeat]

I think sometimes people use that term to mean something different from how you're taking it.

 

For example, she could mean that she is the mother of young children.

[MinivanMom]

I think "young mother" can mean either someone who had children young or someone who still has small children to care for. For the first definition, I would consider someone who had their first child in their teens or early 20's to be a "young mother". For the second definition, I would include anyone who has children preschool age or younger.

 

A lady at our church was teaching a class a few months back and said, "As a mother of young children, I always . . . All women who are young mothers like me should be able to do this, it's just a matter of priority." Imagine the smuggest, most condescending tone possible. I fell out of my chair laughing, because this woman is in her 40's and her youngest child is 8 yrs old (the same age as my oldest child). If your youngest is the same age as the oldest of my 4 children . . . honey, you are not a "young mom" anymore. It sort of threw me, but I guess different folks have very different definitions of "young mom".

[happyhomemaker]

I would assume that the writer is in her mid-twenties at the latest if she used "young mother" to refer to herself.

[regentrude]

I understand the phrase "young mother" to mean mother to little children, i.e. having been a mother for a short time only.

[KirstenH]

I'm 31 and people refer to me as a "young mother" all the time. I do find it a little weird.

[JudoMom]

I'd be caught off guard, too. I think of "young mother" as a mom in her 20s. Otherwise, in my mind, you're a "mother of young children".

 

When I had my oldest (a few months shy of my 24th birthday), I was a young mother. When I had my youngest (5 days after I turned 30) I was no longer a young mother, in my mind, but I was a mother of young children (my 5 were 6 & under).

Edited March 24, 2012 by JudoMom

[sparrow]

I would assume that the writer is in her mid-twenties at the latest if she used "young mother" to refer to herself.

 

:iagree:

[gardening momma]

A lady at our church was teaching a class a few months back and said, "As a mother of young children, I always . . . All women who are young mothers like me should be able to do this, it's just a matter of priority." Imagine the smuggest, most condescending tone possible. I fell out of my chair laughing, because this woman is in her 40's and her youngest child is 8 yrs old (the same age as my oldest child). If your youngest is the same age as the oldest of my 4 children . . . honey, you are not a "young mom" anymore. It sort of threw me, but I guess different folks have very different definitions of "young mom".

I'd love to know how she reacted to that (unless you mean you figuratively fell of the chair laughing, and actually held it in).

[mytwomonkeys]

i had my first child when i was 30. although i felt like an inexperienced and incompetent mother at times, i did not consider myself a young mother. to me, a "young mother" is ....well, rather young!:D teens or early 20's.

[In the Rain]

"Young mother" makes me think teen to early twenties.

[lailasmum]

I watched a gardening documentary the other day where they kept referring to a woman organising a wildlife project as a young mother. It was wierd because I would say she was at least 35 and seemed to have children of all ages, it wasn't like she was 20 and had a young baby. I can only think that they thought the young thing was relevent because the others in the project were retired and probably twice her age but it was jarring becuase constantly being referred to as young pointed out how not young she was.

[Greenmama2]

I would assume that the writer is in her mid-twenties at the latest if she used "young mother" to refer to herself.

 

:iagree:

My mother was 18 when she had me. She was a young mother. I was 30 when my eldest was born. I'm not old but I'm not a "young mother".

[cathmom]

Well, I don't know what a young mother is, but I can tell you that I am an old, tired mother! :D

[stripe]

What age range does the term "young mother" mean for you? Would you find it silly to hear a 30+ year old woman describe herself as such? Or do you think that as modern medicine helps women bear children later in life that now this term can fit a 30something?

Being in your mid thirties is not being a young mother. I think a woman in her thirties may be youngish, but not compared to others mothers of young kids.

 

Virtually no one bears children after 45, and not a heck of a lot over 40. In fact, only 14% of births are to women 35 or older per the Pew Research Center.

[MinivanMom]

I'd love to know how she reacted to that (unless you mean you figuratively fell of the chair laughing, and actually held it in).

 

I didn't actually fall out my chair, but I did laugh. I know that's horrible and I should have kept my composure, but it was a ridiculous thing for her to say. She shot me a very dirty look. :lol:

[PeacefulChaos]

I think sometimes people use that term to mean something different from how you're taking it.

 

For example, she could mean that she is the mother of young children.

 

This.

 

Though I, too, would read it and thing 'young mother' meaning a mother in her 20s, typically. It doesn't make sense to me to consider someone a young mother if they are in their thirties, and it never has made sense why people call women in their thirties young mothers just because their children are young...but my opinion on that was never asked by those who do that. :D :lol:

I was a young mother. Now I'm not. :) (I'm 29)

[FairProspects]

Honestly, it is pretty odd among the peers in my region to have a child prior to 30+, so I can easily see this term being applied to anyone in their early 30s or younger. That actually is a "young mother" relative to the peer group here.

[kardamom]

Honestly, it is pretty odd among the peers in my region to have a child prior to 30+, so I can easily see this term being applied to anyone in their early 30s or younger. That actually is a "young mother" relative to the peer group here.

 

I was thinking I could see young mother for someone under 35 with their oldest still young.

 

I don't think I ever qualified, having my first at 40 and seeing that *Advanced Maternal Age* on my medical chart. :001_smile:

[Kate CA]

I have a friend who started writing for a local paper and her tag or signature states that she is a "young mother". I'm 31 and this friend is a couple years older than me so it caught me off guard. I sure the heck don't consider myself a "young" mother. I had my first kid at 25 but even that doesn't scream young to me. It got me thinking what the term implies to people.

 

What age range does the term "young mother" mean for you? Would you find it silly to hear a 30+ year old woman describe herself as such? Or do you think that as modern medicine helps women bear children later in life that now this term can fit a 30something?

 

What says the hive?

 

Young mom - early to mid twenties or younger.

 

This thread cracks me up. I am 41 and I tell my husband, I am NOT a young mom anymore! :D I look at them at our church and I just think - that was 15 years ago for me! Crazy.

[Whereneverever]

Young mom to me is early twenties or younger. I had my first in my teens- I was a young mother. I am not now!

[Alphabetika]

Well, I have two friends who had their first babies at 19 (both married at 18). To me, THEY are young mothers.

[Karen in CO]

I had my first child when I was 21 and my last when I was well past my mid-thirties. I can tell you that early twenties is young and mid-thirties is NOT.

[HeidiKC]

I'd consider someone up to about 29-30 a young mother. Maybe because I had my first child at 33!

[kitten18]

Honestly, it is pretty odd among the peers in my region to have a child prior to 30+, so I can easily see this term being applied to anyone in their early 30s or younger. That actually is a "young mother" relative to the peer group here.

I completely agree. It is VERY rare for me to meet a mom who had kids before they were 30.

[Ecclecticmum]

I usually count it as age too, not as the "age of the children". Although that being said, I am a young mother in both ways lol. I would not count someone in their thirties or very late twenties being a young mother, thats just a general time nowadays to have children.

 

I "was" a young mother, counts as being I had my children at a young age. Otherwise anyone could say they "were" a young mother, cause at one point all children were little :D

[*********]

I was a young mother. Now I'm not. :) (I'm 29)

 

 

Well excuse YOU, but if you, at 29, are not a young mother, what EXACTLY does that make ME, at 34?! Hmmm?!

 

:lol:

 

(JK. :D)

[Melissa in Australia]

Well, I have two friends who had their first babies at 19 (both married at 18). To me, THEY are young mothers.

 

I was married at 18 , and first child at 19. I didn't consider myself a young mum.

The young mums are the ones that had children at 16 or younger.

[Mommyfaithe]

Well, I don't know what a young mother is, but I can tell you that I am an old, tired mother! :D

 

Me too........sigh.....

 

I was a young mother....a verrrrrry long time ago...in a far away and distant time.......

[LaxMom]

Young mom to me is early twenties or younger. I had my first in my teens- I was a young mother. I am not now!

 

Me, too. My last were born when I was 33. I was a mother of young children in my mid-30s, but not a young mother.

[teachermom2834]

I'm 37 and have a nearly 14 yo. When I am at an activity for this ds I am a young mother. (that's in my mind of course).

 

However, when I am at a function at the nursery school for my 3 yo dd, I am most definitely not a young mother.

[NanceXToo]

I'd be caught off guard, too. I think of "young mother" as a mom in her 20s. Otherwise, in my mind, you're a "mother of young children".

 

:iagree:

[Wheres Toto]

I would mostly think a "young mother" describes someone's age - they are in their teens or early 20's. I have seen it used to describe someone who has young children but only someone who has ONLY young children so is new to parenting. For example, I had my oldest when I was 24 and was considered a young mother. I had my next ones at 36 and 38. Even though I had young children, I was definitely NOT a young mother.

[Wheres Toto]

I'm 37 and have a nearly 14 yo. When I am at an activity for this ds I am a young mother. (that's in my mind of course).

 

However, when I am at a function at the nursery school for my 3 yo dd, I am most definitely not a young mother.

 

I run into this too. When I'm with my oldest at dance events, I'm younger than most of the other girls mothers so I feel young.

 

When I am at Mom's Club events or other things for my younger kids, I am among the oldest moms in the group, so definitely not young.

[Carrie12345]

Yes, I would assume the mother was under 30. Maybe closer to 20.

 

I WAS a young mother. I had #1 at 21. I had 3 kids by 26. I am no longer young, even though I have a 1yo.

 

I have to be honest. The realization that I was no longer perceived as a young mother took some getting used to! It kimd of was my main identity for a while! But I adjusted and learned to accept it.

 

I do feel she's using the term incorrectly. It's misleading. Not a big deal in the big picture I'm guessing, but still not accurate.

[Word Nerd]

I think sometimes people use that term to mean something different from how you're taking it.

 

For example, she could mean that she is the mother of young children.

 

This is what I would guess. I had my first child at 29 but didn't consider myself a "young mother"; I figured I was an "older mother" to be having my first at almost 30.

[AndyJoy]

I understand the phrase "young mother" to mean mother to little children, i.e. having been a mother for a short time only.

 

I hear it used this way sometimes. In my area, I've hear people refer to someone as a "new mother" for the first 9 mo. or so, then a "young mother" when the child is under 5 or so, even if the mom is 40. I suspect it's a shortening/corruption of "mother of young children."

 

*I* think of a woman who had her first child at 22/23 or younger as being a "young mother."

Edited March 25, 2012 by AndyJoy