50 year old boyfriend wants another child

by Michele
(Ohio)

The Question

My boyfriend of many years is turning 50. His only child has left for college and he hears from her infrequently.

The boyfriend has decided that he would like to have another child... at 50. If not with me (I am 44) then he would like to start again because his daughter has been a "disappointment". I am stunned. This is sudden. Is this a mid life crisis? Will he snap out of this? Thanks

Noel's response

It sounds very much like a midlife crisis, but whether he will snap out of it before he goes ahead and fathers a baby (if he can find someone dumb enough to do be the mother) is hard to tell. I frequently see men in their 50s with younger wives and babies or young children and I wonder what they could have been thinking about. A man in his fifties does not have the energy to look after babies and young children.

As for his daughter being a disappointment to him, he would benefit from a look inside, as he is the father, and presumably taught her proper values and principles.