Annie Leibovitz76 years old, says he worries about what will happen elderly mother.
In an appearance on Wednesday episode In the podcast Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the renowned photographer talked about the realities of becoming a parent later in life.
Leibovitz recalled a moment in her late 40s when she suddenly realized she didn't want to miss out on motherhood.
“You know, what happened was that I was at my doctor’s appointment and I was just crying. I said that I realized that I was already approaching forty. And I said I just can't believe I let this time pass by. Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Leibovitz said her longtime partner, the writer Susan Sontag, who died in 2004, was “not interested in children.”
“And I talked about it from time to time, but she wasn’t interested. Besides, we didn't have that kind of relationship. We had two separate apartments,” Leibowitz said. “We had our own world, but we were really very supportive of each other.”
However, Leibovitz's doctor told her that she still had the opportunity. “So he told me, 'You can do this.' I said, “Really?” And I did it,” Leibovitz said, adding that she has three daughters who are now in their twenties.
Having children later in life made her more aware of the realities raising children like an older mothershe said.
“However, I mean, if I have any problem with being older now, it's that I've decided they are older. And my oldest daughter gets mad at me if I don't take care of myself. “Mom, I want you to live longer.” And you worry about that,” Leibowitz said.
However, she says she wants to continue to focus on her career and give her daughters space rather than hovering over them.
“And it didn't have to be so suffocating and so close, because I just knew that I was an older mom, and I knew that they would have to deal with me being gone before I might be around,” Leibovitz said, adding that part of the reason I had more than one child was so they could have each other.
But beyond parenting, Leibovitz says aging is something she truly appreciates.
“I just like getting older. You kind of know what you're doing. It doesn't mean that what you do is good or better or anything like that. It's still hard work, but you kind of know what you're doing and there's something really nice about it,” she said.
She added that she no longer has to rush through everything.
“And then I think things naturally slow down, kind of like after I've been running around like crazy since I was very young. And so it’s nice to slow down a little bit,” Leibowitz said.
Leibovitz isn't the only one who has talked about having children later in life.
In May 2024 Eva Mendes She said it was good that she waited until she was 40 to have children.
“In my 20s, I shouldn’t have been around a child at all. I cursed and smoked. I definitely couldn't raise kids at any other time in my life than right now,” Mendes told People magazine.
Speaking to Business Insider in September 2024 Hilary Swank She said she was happy to be an elderly mother. Swank gave birth to twins at age 48.
“I'm at a place where I just have more patience and more grace to give not only to my children but to those around me,” she said. “I can give them much more than I could have at that time.”
