Jenice Armstrong: Too old for babies?

"Yo' mama so old I told her to act her age and she died."

- COMEDY CENTRAL

A BABY AT 66?

That's not a punchline to another joke but the reality of a British woman who's about to give birth to her first child.

When Elizabeth Adeney has her baby in a few weeks, she will become England's oldest woman to give birth.

Predictably, the mom-o-sphere has been buzzing with folks debating the pros and cons of her decision to become a mom at an age when others are contemplating retirement. It's either that, or they're looking forward to becoming grandparents.

My take on this issue is that if you're going to do like Adeney and have a baby that late in life, there are certain things you need to do: Try to time it so that both you and the baby won't be using walkers at the same time.

And, ideally, either your child or you should be in diapers - not both. But if you're drinking Ensure and the baby is on formula, that's a situation that could work to your advantage since you won't be washing so many dishes.

OK, so I'm having a little fun at the expense of 66-year-old baby mamas. But jokes aside, I think mothers have every right to choose when they reproduce even at the risk of coming off as selfish.

Not everyone is willing to give up on her dream of motherhood, just because she has an AARP card tucked in her diaper bag. The urge to parent can be consuming. Some women dream about becoming a mother their whole lives. It's not our business to tell them that

they're too old.

Even if they are grandma age like Adeney. At this point, though, it's too late for second guessing. Besides, if Octomom, Nadya Sulaman, taught us anything, it's that there's nothing preventing baby-lovers from reproducing willy-nilly if that's what they want.

At least Adeney appears to be financially prepared for motherhood. The divorcee reportedly has hired a live-in nanny to help out. But girlfriend will be almost 80 when her child is 13. What if she's in a nursing home? The risk of certain health conditions increase dramatically with age.

Still, I cringe at how judgmental we are. In an age when you can flip on TV and watch TLC's "Jon & Kate Plus 8," it's hard to sit in judgment of someone who wants just one baby. And who's to predict what one person's energy level might be?

And even if it were an issue, many in their 50s and beyond are perfectly capable of caring for small children. Look at all the grandparents who do it.

I'm not saying it's an ideal situation. I know I wouldn't have liked it when I was a kid. I loved having parents who were young and fit enough to demonstrate how to jump rope and how to execute a foul shot properly. My dad used to teach physical education and would roller-skate with us instead of sitting on the sidelines like many other parents.

Beverly Nelson, the Philly-based comedian known as B-Phlat, knows what I'm talking about. She told me yesterday that when she was 12 and her grandmother was 47, she gave birth to Nelson's uncle.

"She'd always say, 'Run and get Howard,' " Nelson recalled. "He used to get away with murder because my grandmother couldn't catch him. He used to have little girlfriends coming over in the basement. She couldn't get down the stairs to catch him," Nelson said, laughing. "If you haven't had a kid by the time you're 40, adopt."

Yeah, but what's Nelson doing this weekend?

Going to a baby shower being held for a 42-year-old friend pregnant by a younger boyfriend. See? People do what they want. *

Send e-mail to heyjen@phillynews. com. My blog: http://go.philly.com/ heyjen.