None of the phenomena referenced in this article are particularly new; all are well explained by fetal hormonal effects and social conditioning, without reference to epigenetics.

Your grandfather's childhood food shortage affect your fetal hormone levels how?

It directly affects his social conditioning, which in turn affects the lifestyle advice he imparts to his descendants.

As if parents weren't chastised enough by how they bring up children, now there is more reason to blame: 'your ancestors’ diet, smoking habits, exposure to pollutants and levels of obesity could be affecting you today'

Its tough to be a parent

Surely the real reason that being a parent is tough is that you want to do your very best to help your kids, and has absolutely nothing to do with what other people think. You don't care about them, you have kids to think about instead.

I wasn't referring to what other people think. I was referring to kids when they grow up ;)

Superficially speaking, it's a great way to scare a generation of to-be parents or those considering becoming parents into behaving responsibly.

Personally, coming from a background where family members go to n-th limits to keep pregnant women happy with the belief that happy emotions keep balanced hormonal levels beneficial to the unborn child, this just seems to add to the truism in the old wives tales.

The girl who is waiting until well into her thirties might find it impossible to get pregnant, or may have a child with Down Syndrome.

Why?

I don't know the science of it but female fertility peaks between about 16 and 25.