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Older Mothers in soaps |
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#1 |
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Older Mothers in soaps
I am not an Eastenders fan as such but as the child of an older mother I applaud that the soap has no hesitation in having older new mothers. From its inception in having Pauline Fowler to Denise today and several in between it is a realistic reflection on society and makes for a more interesting dynamic.
Emmerdale too has had Lisa Dingle as well as Charity even Dolly Skilbeck was no spring chicken. The real exception is Coronation Street why in all of its 56 years has there never been one single SUCCESSFUL pregnancy to an older woman. Bet Gilroy, Liz McDonald and now Michelle McDonald all lost their babies. Yes its dramatic but I in all these years there has not been one successful live birth to a character over 40. Not only is this unrealistic its also pretty insulting to all the older mums like mine who are out there. Why in Corrie is pregnancy and live birth the sole claim of the young.. and some very young. Shame on you Corrie |
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#2 |
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Easteners have had loads. Pauline, Kathy, Zainab, Heather, Kat, Ronnie and (soon to be) Denise have all had children over the age of 40. Then Linda, Sharon, Kim and Sam have all had children in the their late 30s.
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#3 |
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Join Date: Jan 2011
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Was Pauline that old though? In those days she may been considered old but things change over time. Mothers become older and older.
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#4 |
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Join Date: Mar 2009
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On the subject of older parents. If Mick is about to celebrate his 40th next week, how old is Lee meant to be?
Did Mick and Linda have him at about 16? |
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#5 |
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Join Date: Mar 2016
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just found out June (Dot) will be 90 next month, 16th Feb . How old is Dot supposed to be ?
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#6 |
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,607
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Quote:
I am not an Eastenders fan as such but as the child of an older mother I applaud that the soap has no hesitation in having older new mothers. From its inception in having Pauline Fowler to Denise today and several in between it is a realistic reflection on society and makes for a more interesting dynamic.
Emmerdale too has had Lisa Dingle as well as Charity even Dolly Skilbeck was no spring chicken. The real exception is Coronation Street why in all of its 56 years has there never been one single SUCCESSFUL pregnancy to an older woman. Bet Gilroy, Liz McDonald and now Michelle McDonald all lost their babies. Yes its dramatic but I in all these years there has not been one successful live birth to a character over 40. Not only is this unrealistic its also pretty insulting to all the older mums like mine who are out there. Why in Corrie is pregnancy and live birth the sole claim of the young.. and some very young. Shame on you Corrie |
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#7 |
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Join Date: Aug 2016
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Emmerdale has had a few older mothers recently. Laurel looks in her early/mid fourties and has Dotty, and then there is Megan who I think is around 45, and she has Eliza. Both babies are less than 1. There is also Charity and I think she was around 39/40 when she had Moses. I think Eliza was born with health problems though.
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#8 |
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I know it is no longer on but in Brookside Jackie Corkhill had a successful pregnancy when she was in her 40s.
Also Lynn Scully in Neighbours was an older mother when she had Oscar. |
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#9 |
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Join Date: May 2005
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Quote:
I know it is no longer on but in Brookside Jackie Corkhill had a successful pregnancy when she was in her 40s.
Also Lynn Scully in Neighbours was an older mother when she had Oscar. |
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#10 |
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Join Date: May 2005
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What about Ailsa in Home and Away?I'm guessing she was over 40 when she had Duncan?
Also Cheryl Stark in Neighbours. Beryl in Sons and Daughters had Robert when she was in her 40s. |
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#11 |
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Join Date: Jan 2011
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Soaps are always doing teenage pregnancy storylines but they never highlight the health risks of getting pregnant too young, where as it is always mentioned when a woman over 40 gets pregnant.
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#12 |
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Quote:
just found out June (Dot) will be 90 next month, 16th Feb . How old is Dot supposed to be ?
Maybe with Janet Jackson having a baby at 50 might spur Corrie writers into one of the older characters having a baby. |
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#13 |
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Join Date: Nov 2009
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Quote:
Was Pauline that old though? In those days she may been considered old but things change over time. Mothers become older and older.
Whilst hardly unique in real life, it was fairly unusual for somebody of that age to have a baby in the mid 80s. Oddly, it was probably more common pre female contraception when women often produced 10 children over a period of 20 to 25 years. After the Pill, I think there tended to be an atttude that the woman had been irresponsible and should have taken precautions so as not to fall pregnant as children shouldn't be saddled with 'old' parents. I was born to a 35 year old Mother in 1971 and that was probably similar to 40, 15 years later. Not unique or even rare, but uncommon. Certainly, she was approx 10 years older than all but one of my classmates when I was at School and felt somewhat excluded in their social circle due to that. Times change, even in as little as a couple of decades. |
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#14 |
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Quote:
Pauline was 39 when Martin was conceived, 40 when he was born.
Whilst hardly unique in real life, it was fairly unusual for somebody of that age to have a baby in the mid 80s. Oddly, it was probably more common pre female contraception when women often produced 10 children over a period of 20 to 25 years. After the Pill, I think there tended to be an atttude that the woman had been irresponsible and should have taken precautions so as not to fall pregnant as children shouldn't be saddled with 'old' parents. I was born to a 35 year old Mother in 1971 and that was probably similar to 40, 15 years later. Not unique or even rare, but uncommon. Certainly, she was approx 10 years older than all but one of my classmates when I was at School and felt somewhat excluded in their social circle due to that. Times change, even in as little as a couple of decades.
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#15 |
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Join Date: Feb 2008
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I'm really enjoying Denise's story. At first I thought oh, another pregnancy how novel, but they've really highlighted many older mothers feelings. A family member of mine had a baby aged 47, she had three grown up children and was already a grandmother and her struggle at being an older parent is something I've never seen replicated on a soap yet.
Corrie did have Erica fall pregnant by Nick aged fifty but she had a miscarriage, which is a shame as I think that could've been some real story potential for both characters. |
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#16 |
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Quote:
Spot on, I was born in 1973 to a 37 year old Mother. I have some controversial opinions on the matter and won't air them here, what I will say is any potential mother/father should consider very carefully all potential scenarios for themselves and especially the child before having a baby. A child isn't just for Christmas and far too many people just sh*g and to hell with the consequences.
![]() I will say though that my parents wete anything but shag and damn the consequences. I was very much wanted and they had been trying for a baby since soon after my brother was born in 1967. Also, I never felt hard done by having 'older' parents. If anything, it just made me think less of my friends parents that they were part of a 'gang' and excluded people because they didn't fit in with the norm. I don't think I missed out on anything as they were still fit and able to play with us, take us to things etc. Only thing might have been losing grandpatents younger than most of my friends but these things can happen anytime. |
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#17 |
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Quote:
Well I won't ask you to elaborate here. Maybe we can discuss it by PM some time?
I will say though that my parents wete anything but shag and damn the consequences. I was very much wanted and they had been trying for a baby since soon after my brother was born in 1967. Also, I never felt hard done by having 'older' parents. If anything, it just made me think less of my friends parents that they were part of a 'gang' and excluded people because they didn't fit in with the norm. I don't think I missed out on anything as they were still fit and able to play with us, take us to things etc. Only thing might have been losing grandpatents younger than most of my friends but these things can happen anytime. |
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#18 |
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Join Date: Nov 2009
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Quote:
My mum was 43 when she had me, and already had a 23 year old daughter, my nephew is older than me. I grew up in an area with high teenage pregnancy rates at the time (I was born in 89) and my mum did feel excluded because of that. I admit that growing up I occasionally felt upset as I was constantly hearing that older mothers were meant to be more financially stable as they had dedicated their time to becoming more successful in life before having kids, and as that wasn't the case with my mum I didn't feel as though our family "fitted in" with any group. It never effected me really though, the weirdest part was having a sibling 2 decades apart from me, but she was a great motherly figure to me in my teens so I don't feel as though I missed out in any way shape or form.
That basically chimes with my experience and belief that there is no right way, it just comes down to ignorance, what is perceived to be the norm and often, pack mentality. And it is just as prevelent in adults, including the parents at the gate, as children with gangs. I'm sure in some areas now the reverse will be true, with women that had careers and then children in their 30s or 40s being the norm and getting on and looking down, excluding those that had their kids young. |
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#19 |
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Join Date: Apr 2015
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Quote:
Well I won't ask you to elaborate here. Maybe we can discuss it by PM some time?
I will say though that my parents wete anything but shag and damn the consequences. I was very much wanted and they had been trying for a baby since soon after my brother was born in 1967. Also, I never felt hard done by having 'older' parents. If anything, it just made me think less of my friends parents that they were part of a 'gang' and excluded people because they didn't fit in with the norm. I don't think I missed out on anything as they were still fit and able to play with us, take us to things etc. Only thing might have been losing grandpatents younger than most of my friends but these things can happen anytime. |
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#20 |
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 7,604
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Quote:
just found out June (Dot) will be 90 next month, 16th Feb . How old is Dot supposed to be ?
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#21 |
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Liverpool
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Myra in hollyoaks must be in her late 40s and is currently pregnant
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#22 |
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Join Date: May 2014
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There is also hardly any menopause stories in soaps either. The last one I remember is Nicola in Emmerdale.
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#23 |
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Join Date: Feb 2004
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Quote:
Pauline was 39 when Martin was conceived, 40 when he was born.
Whilst hardly unique in real life, it was fairly unusual for somebody of that age to have a baby in the mid 80s. Oddly, it was probably more common pre female contraception when women often produced 10 children over a period of 20 to 25 years. After the Pill, I think there tended to be an atttude that the woman had been irresponsible and should have taken precautions so as not to fall pregnant as children shouldn't be saddled with 'old' parents. I was born to a 35 year old Mother in 1971 and that was probably similar to 40, 15 years later. Not unique or even rare, but uncommon. Certainly, she was approx 10 years older than all but one of my classmates when I was at School and felt somewhat excluded in their social circle due to that. Times change, even in as little as a couple of decades. |
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#24 |
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Join Date: Oct 2009
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Quote:
My mum was 30 when I was born in 1974 and that was considered relatively old. I was 33 and 37 when my children were born and it doesn't feel that old at all to me. How times change!
Women look younger now than they did years ago. Kathy even touched upon this during her drunken night in the Vic a few weeks back. She was talking about Lou and Ethel etc in the 1980s looking and acting like a 'bunch of old biddies' when they were in fact younger than she is now. |
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#25 |
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Join Date: May 2005
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Quote:
Very true. Pauline Fowler was only 40 when she gave birth to Martin in 1985 but she looked, dressed and acted very old so everyone always remembers her as being an 'older mother'. Yet Ronnie Mitchell was 40 when she gave birth to baby Matthew but nobody immediately thinks of Ronnie as being an older mother.
Women look younger now than they did years ago. Kathy even touched upon this during her drunken night in the Vic a few weeks back. She was talking about Lou and Ethel etc in the 1980s looking and acting like a 'bunch of old biddies' when they were in fact younger than she is now. |
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