There is little empirical research on the impact of delayed fatherhood
on the father-child relationship. From a large, nationally representa
tive sample of adults in the United States, a subsample was drawn of 4
7 men who were both fathers of minor children and had fathered their f
irst child after their 35th birthday. Ordinary least-squares regressio
n analysis was used to test four hypotheses. Late-time fathers were fo
und to (a) spend more time in leisure activities with their children,
(b) have higher expectations for their children's behavior, and (c) be
more nurturant toward their children, but they (d) showed no differen
ce in controlling behavior toward their children when compared with on
-time fathers. Empirical support is presented for the establishment of
age 35 as the criterion for delayed fatherhood in future studies. Rec
ommendations for future research are offered.