Grand fathers.(Reprint)

This news was brought to you by www.7days.ae

The 'biological clock' is a sensitive subject for many married couples.

With pressure of work and our modern world, quite often we don't get around to starting families until later in life than we might like.

There's no getting away from it. Women will often have to make a serious choice at some stage in their lives - whether or not to take time out of their careers to have a child.

But is Father Time an issue for prospective dads too?

It clearly isn't for some of the rich and famous anyway.

Rod Stewart didn't exactly 'Wear It Well' when he performed in the Emirates last year, looking very much an old timer.

But the 'Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?' singer certainly knows where he stands in the eyes of his wife. The 66-year-old is set

to become a father for the eighth time later this year.

While it's OK for many stars, some older males may worry about the prospect of bringing up a little one.

Music mogul Simon Cowell admitted as much recently when asked about the chances of becoming a dad now he is together with Mezhgan Hussainy. He said: "I worry about that because of my age. "When I was younger, my dad used to play soccer and games with me and I worry - I worry that if I was 70-"

Many older men might well feel a little nervous at the prospect of being outrun by junior AND a younger, fitter model if playing soccer at the beach a few years down the line.

But there are more important things to fatherhood, according to Doctor Muhammad Idrees of Medicentres International.

Dr Idrees says: "Most of the time, at least 99 per cent of the time, there are no issues with a man's age. The chance of conception might be less and there are very minute chances of some problems, like autism.

But young or old, it doesn't matter. Dads must be involved.

"The mother has just gone through a major event, childbirth, and she will most likely have to feed and give up her time to the child. Father must take responsibility. Her health really is most important than anything for the child. If she is healthy and happy then of course the child has a better chance of being strong.

There are less chances for getting all sorts of conditions and problems. The father is very important and he should be more than 50 per cent of responsibilities."

While age clearly has few issues for the celebrity dads like Stewart, Doctor Idrees believes we should ideally think about becoming fathers before we hit 40.

Dubai expat Tarquin Zaman has only just sneaked under the age barrier, but he will still be 40 when his little daughter Eliza turns one. He's recently turned over a new leaf with baby and wife Jess in mind. But being older has more positives than negatives as far as he's concerned.

"I might be older than I 'should be' according to everyone saying I should have started when I was 30.

But I think being older offers more in terms of stability. You may be a bit wiser, and there's no temptation to go out so much. I suppose I've got everything out of my system. "It's really motivated me. I've started at the gym and I want to live longer, obviously."

For many men, fatherhood can be a great watershed moment. And Doctor Idrees agrees that expecting a child is a great motivating factor for dads.

He says: "You must stay in shape or get in shape. You want to be there and see your child taking their first steps. You also want to be there when they are older and want to play with you. I always tell my patients who are smokers, 'now is

the perfect time to stop'. Think about your child and remember you need to look after yourself so your child can be given the maximum opportunities."

chris.fraser@7days.ae

This article was originally published by www.7days.ae.

2011 Al Sidra Media LLC

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company