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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s marriage has frequently sparked public discussions about her growing family. Leavitt, 28, and her 61-year-old husband, Nicholas Riccio, recently celebrated the arrival of their second child.
Ever since they tied the knot, their “atypical love story” has captured the attention of both the public and the media. Leavitt previously admitted that her own mother initially had major doubts about their relationship.
This hesitation stemmed from the fact that her husband is older than her own mom.
Despite many family concerns, the couple continued to build a strong bond and now shares two children together. Given that both parents want to be fully present and active in their children’s lives, their parenting dynamic has drawn public attention.
To understand how parents like Leavitt and Riccio handle daily responsibilities and balance raising their young kids when one partner is in their 20s and the other is nearing retirement age, Morning Honey spoke exclusively with relationship experts.
Relationship Therapist and Author Anita Chlipala, along with age-gap relationship expert Dr Abby Medcalf, shared their professional insights into their family dynamic.
Experts Explain the Reality of Raising Kids With a Large Parental Age Gap
To understand how parents like Leavitt navigate these daily roles, the experts explained the lesser-known benefits and challenges. Dr. Abby Medcalf pointed out that families with a large parental age gap often experience advantages. They are usually more financially stable and feel much less pressure to prove themselves to the outside world.
Medcalf shared, “The older parents I’ve worked with tend to show up with a lot less to prove (I was slightly older myself when I started having kids, although their dad is only 5 years older than me). They’re usually steadier financially, and frankly, they’ve run out of the energy it takes to be reactive about spilled juice. A toddler doesn’t care whether you can do a cartwheel. A toddler cares whether you can stay calm when the juice hits the floor (and it will hit the floor).”
However, Medcalf noted that couples must watch out for imbalances regarding the division of responsibilities over time. She explained, “The challenge I’d watch isn’t energy, it’s the younger parent quietly sliding into caregiver-for-everybody: kids, house, and eventually spouse. That’s a division-of-labor problem wearing an age-gap costume, and it’s where the power differential I mentioned does its worst damage. Very fixable, but only if you talk about it before you’re resentful.”
Anita Chlipala also discussed the mindset of parents in age-gap relationships. She said that, contrary to common assumptions, an older partner can be just as active and involved at home.
Chlipala stated, “Age doesn’t automatically mean frailty or low energy. Plenty of parents in their 50s and 60s are present and involved with their children. And retirement can mean greater schedule flexibility.”
The experts also highlighted that clear communication allows age-gap parents to successfully balance their careers, their children, and strengthen their relationship.
