LOL I just had a flashback to the "older parents" thread....
It can be a double edged sword...older parents are either the most attentive cause they've waited so long for a child, or they are too set in their ways and don't know quite what to do with one. These two sound like the latter. I think it also depends a lot on where you live and the general environment. If hands-off parenting is the norm, that's probably what you will do too.