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I agree with Catherine Price - there is no perfect time to have a baby (BUT 16 is way too young) and parenting is indeed difficult no matter how old you are.
And I completely agree that we must, must find ways to be more supportive of parents: affordable yet high quality day care; move away from the traditional "work-style" model by supporting flexible work schedules, telecommuting, sabbaticals, etc. (I believe that such changes could benefit both employers - improve the bottom line - and employees. I also believe that all employees - parents AND non-parents - should be able to take advantage of these "work-styles".)
As to the question of when to have a child - because my "nest" will be empty in two years I see the issue in those terms, i.e., how old will you be when the kids are out of the house and what will you do?
In two years I'll be 53, one of my sisters (who is 17 months younger than I) had her first at 24 - her 3rd started college this year. Over the last several years, she has successfully ramped up her career. I am at a different place - I "retired" from law and stayed home all these years - a lot of time away from the job,so, who knows what the second half of my life holds for me career-wise. All of us can probably cite people we know who have had babies at different ages and the impact that choice had on their lives, their career paths and their significant relationships.
Gratuitous advice alert (which, unfortunately, applies only to those who have access to quality child care, see, above): when I meet mother's with young kids or women who are contemplating motherhood I tell them to find good quality child care and continue to work full-time while the kids are young. So, you've paid your dues and when the time comes when (I believe) your kids really need you around (from middle school on) hopefully, you'll have the clout to negotiate a more flexible work schedule because those years you put in have made you a valued employee.
