Alberto Cormillot fathered his third son at age 83. Despite the happiness of the occasion, he’s fully aware that he won’t live long enough to watch his son grow up, although he hopes to live to 105 to see him graduate. For now, the nutrition expert and resident of Argentina is enjoying every moment with his new son, Emilio, as he does everything he could think of to set up his future.
Making Every Moment Last
Cormillot’s wife, Estefania Pasquini, 35, became pregnant with Emilio after fertility treatment. The couple had known each other since 2012 and dated for a year before they secretly got married. The age difference didn’t bother them.
Despite his age, Cormillot stays in good shape and does everything to actively raise his son. “I’m aware that life is not infinite. That little guy’s here and I’m going to accompany him until a certain moment,” he said. “Until that happens I plan to enjoy every day to the fullest and make plans that are more short-term, which means I enjoy every day as fully as I can.” [1]
Cormillot already has two children, Renee and Adrian, both adults. They gave him three granddaughters. Their mother, Cormillot’s first wife, Monika Arborgast died in 2017. Cormillot had been diagnosed twice with cancer and beat it both times.
During his career, he has written over a hundred scientific papers published in journals and presented during conferences. He has also authored over 50 books, mostly on the topic of health education. He has leaned on this information when deciding on how to raise his new son. For instance, he and Pasquini, a nutritionist, plan to not feed him salt or sugar during his first two years of life.
Read: ‘I had my son at 45. This is what I wish people knew about being an “older mom.”‘
Giving Emilio Memories of His Father
Health aside, Cormillot and Pasquini made many plans to better Emilio’s future as soon as they knew they were expecting. For instance, this included teaching their son Chinese and how to play the organ. Overall, the father is always looking for new ways to better Emilio’s future, like encouraging him to crawl when he comes to that stage and teaching him songs from his own childhood.
“Emilio has a person who twice a week talks to him, sings to him and plays for him in Chinese. As it is the language of the future, I want him to get used to hearing it as a child and he will find it easier to learn it better when he grows up.” The female teacher comes to spend time with the child to familiarize him with the sound of the language. As Cormillot said,” I don’t know if he will speak in Chinese in the future, but at least that’s how we can incorporate it.“
He also hopes to make memories for his son to look back on as he grows up and becomes an adult. In that vein, Cormillot often leaves voice notes for Emilio to listen to when he’s older. “That means that although he still really is a baby, he has a phone number with WhatsApp in which I record audio and send him videos,” he said. “I don’t over-dramatize things, I just record the reality of life.”
Read: People Who Chose Not To Have Children Reflect On Their Decision Now That They’re 50 And Older (15 Answers)
In Response to the Naysayers
Meanwhile, Pasquini is aware her husband won’t always be around to help raise Emilio, and she is ready for that eventuality, although many seem to be keen on reminding her of this. “They don’t say anything that I don’t know, or that Alberto doesn’t know, or that we haven’t talked about,” she said. “…I talked about it with my friends and they told me ’Yes, it’s going to happen, you’re going to have a child, and tomorrow he won’t be there, for logical reasons of life… And when he is no longer there, we will all be there to take you forward.’” [2]
Cormillot criticizes the negative way people tend to view old age. Instead, he believes the golden years can be lived in a positive way. “People are biased with respect to an older adult, there is a cliché: an older person cannot have children or have fun,” he said. “…A single-parent family can have a child, but not an elderly person. It is not a very wise thing to do. A senior citizen is an overload, they are disposable, disposable, not even recyclable, and many people buy that. And I don’t buy it and I didn’t buy it.” [3]
Keep Reading: Denzel Washington Chose ‘Very Tough’ Marriage despite the Temptations That Were around Him
Sources
- “I am an 83-year-old dad – I’ve just had a son with my wife, 35, but I live knowing I will never get to see him grow up.” The Sun. Fiona Connor. June 21, 2022
- “Estefanía Pasquini, Alberto Cormillot’s wife, speaks.” YouTube. March 17, 2021
- “Alberto Cormillot, on his fatherhood at the age of 82: “There is a cliché about older adults, they are considered disposable”.” La Nacion. Dolores Moreno. March 18, 2021