Almost two years ago, David Foster became a dad for the sixth time at the ripe old age of 71. His current wife, Katharine McPhee, gave birth to a son, Rennie, who is blessed to follow Foster’s five older children who range in age from 36 to 52. In the weeks leading up to Rennie’s second birthday, Foster has been thinking about his life as a really old dad, and regularly sharing those thoughts in different interviews with People, for some reason. You may find his wisdom useful, so we have collected it all in one place for your convenience.
Thought #1: Having a baby in your 70s is different
In one of his many regular check-ins with People, Foster acknowledged that this time around, fatherhood is different. "At this point in my life, it's different again," he said. "Not better or worse, just different. I still work, I'm still gone a lot, but maybe the time is a little more precious to me because I got more runway behind me than I have ahead of me now.”
Thought #2: When you’re older you can cancel things more easily
Foster has realized that life is precious, and it’s good to stop working every once in a while, especially when you are already well past retirement age. “It's the standard thing of like, ‘Oh, well you were so young when you had your children and you were working day and night, you never saw them.’ And there is some truth to that, sadly, for my [older] kids,” he said. “I was just working a lot. Even though I'm working a lot now, I'll cancel anything just to hang with [Rennie].”
Thought #3: In the end, wisdom beats time
Foster noted that there are even some upsides to having a baby at an older age. "I think that I can offer one thing to Rennie even though I won't be around when he's 50 or 40 even, or 30 maybe," he said. "I think I can offer him wisdom from my 72 years on the planet. And maybe that's not a bad trade-off. I hope so."
Thought #4: The most important thing is to find your groove!
Take it from Foster’s almost-two-year-old. He is pretty cute.
