I certainly didn't hear anyone say that John Travolta and Kelly Preston were too old, although their joint ages totaled 103. But it's not the only wonderful way to become a parent.Īs for age, I see 60-something guys (and older) having kids with women who are pushing (or past) 40 every day. But there are surely no grounds for criticism. It's not the only reason, or the ultimate one, for becoming a parent. Wanting to see yourself in your children is about as basic a human drive as there is. All of us who are the biological parents of our children did the same thing most of us just didn't need a surrogate to do it. I don't blame gay men who opt for biological children. I'm sure there are other reasons I'm not even thinking of, such as John's touring schedule (although he says he is retiring) and the like.Įven so, all I can say is congratulations. John, 62, and Furnish, 48, are over the limit. The conventional rule of thumb for adoption is that the sum of the two parents' ages can't exceed 100. Then there are the folks who will point out, rightly, that with so many unwanted babies and children in the world, why don't celebrities set an example by adopting, rather than spending literally hundreds of thousands of dollars on a "designer" baby? The fact that John and Furnish were turned down when they sought to adopt an HIV-positive child from a Ukrainian orphanage does not necessarily mean that the only route to parenthood was through a California fertility specialist.Īnd, of course, there's the matter of age. I don't buy it, but you don't need to hear that side, either.
OK, I know, you can find plenty of reasons to criticize this latest example of how far "things" have gone.Īnti-gay marriage/adoption/parenting folks: You don't need me to make that pitch. "Zachary is healthy and doing really well, and we are very proud and happy parents." "We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment," John and Furnish said in a joint statement. No statement as to whether or which of the two was the sperm donor. The son of proud fathers Sir Elton John and his civil partner, David Furnish. Born on Christmas day in California to a surrogate mother, weighing in at 7 pounds 15 ounces.