At the bus stop.

[Roger Kettle]

I was standing at the bus stop today and chatting with a woman. She is a great grandmother. Now, that in itself is not particularly interesting. What IS interesting is that there were two other people standing there, waiting for a bus. They were her parents.

[Malc]

You'll talk to anybody, you.


I'm trying to work out the logistics of that. Using my own family as an example: My late sister, bless her, was a young mother, (16) in 1975, and let's say her daughter was 15 when she had little Brodie in 1990 and let's say Brodie became a father seventeen years later in 2007 . . .

Yes, my sister could easily have been a great grandmother by now, and HER mum (my mum) is still going strong at 77.

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

That's remarkable, Malky! She must have been about 12 when she had you then?

[Malc]

Well I'm 58, so (taking into account our birthdays) she was 18. Considering she was around the age many young women were having babies post-war, and stayed married despite the ups and downs, she and my dad set a great example for us kids that virtually none of us followed.

I wasn't too bad - a dad by the advanced age of 24 (3 kids, divorced twice)

Liz  - 16 (7 kids by two marriages, divorced twice)

Cathy - 16 (3 kids, divorced)

Clive - 22 (2, divorced)

David - 15 (6 or seven, we're not sure. Divorced twice)

Ian - 19 (4 kids divorced, happily remarried)

Helen - 16 (6 kids, divorced twice).

There are a couple of "stragglers", i.e. born out of wedlock, so to speak, but we are all in contact via Facebook, isn't that sweet?

As my dad always used to say: The McGookins were never the kind of family that laid in bed all day doing nothing.

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

As my dad always used to say: The McGookins were never the kind of family that laid in bed all day doing nothing.

  Best post ever!

Why, I feel practically naive!

Tarqs - 24 (four by two, twice divorced... and probably not finished yet....)

[Sandy Buttcheeks]

Brilliant! 

No wonder you moved to Australia Malky, Christmas must have cost you a fortune.

[Malc]

Actually I consider myself a UK resident these days. I have one son in Bristol and two in Brisbane, and my heart lies in the UK. Despite Brisbane just hosting the G20 conference, it's still a small country town, by British standards. A delightful, sunny, hot and humid and very pleasant town, where not much really happens.

I've always said Queensland attracts a certain type of person. I'm not it. Though it's great if you love mosquitoes and sweating.

[Diane CBPFC]

Ya, sorry about our Canadian Prime Minister.

There is a lot of internet talk these days about the advantages of young marriages and having babies early.