Gary Jenkins became a father for the first time in 1995 at age 35, but it was not until 21 years later, at 66, that he experienced fatherhood again with the birth of his son Ben. Now 66, he says the second time around feels more visceral, as he is acutely aware that his time with his son is limited and therefore more precious. He lives in the Czech Republic with his second wife and their eight-year-old son.
Jenkins lost contact with his daughter from his first marriage after a divorce, which he describes as a devastating experience. Meeting his current partner later in life, he did not hesitate to start a new family. 'It was primal,' he says. He worried about energy levels but no longer does; his main concern now is the limited time he has to impart love and life lessons to his son.
Older fatherhood is not limited to celebrities like Mick Jagger, Rupert Murdoch, or Al Pacino. Many men are fathering children later in life, often sequentially with different partners. Christopher Ennis, 70, from Kent, says his one-year-old son Séamus has rejuvenated him. He is more engaged than he was with his four older daughters, partly due to greater financial security.
The trend of older fathers is not new; the late art historian John Richardson, then in his 90s, once noted that his grandfather was born in 1812, a two-century leap resulting from two successive septuagenarian fathers. For these men, the joys of fatherhood later in life are tempered by the awareness of their own mortality, making every moment count.
