|
|
Article: The old devils
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- April 13, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
Jacob, says the Book of Genesis, loved Joseph "more than all
his children, because he was the son of his old age". Three
millennia on, children born to older fathers are still special. The
Bible goes out of its way to stress the advanced age of the fathers
of other leaders, among them Isaac, born when Abraham was 100; Esau
and Jacob, born when Isaac was 60; and John the Baptist, born when
his father Zacharias was an "old man".
In our day, late fatherhood has become more frequent as women
postpone child-bearing and men remarry younger wives. Improved life
expectancy means that fathers over 50 or 60 have a much better
chance of seeing their children grow up than they did 100 years
ago. ...