Looking the Part

At what point in time do we as woman stop telling others our age? When I was in my early twenties I use to shout it from the roof tops. In my later twenties I was only yelling it out the window, nevertheless, most of society was still aware of my age. But as of lately I try to hide from the truth which is: I will never see my twenties again! I will never look, feel or act like I did in my twenties; not that I want to, I'm too old and tired now.



Was it having children or just hitting the big 3-0 that changed me from loudmouth to mums-the- word? In all honesty 30 didn't bother me. Maybe that's because I had a 7 week old and I was too tired to care. But 31, now that was a killer. At 31 I was officially in my thirties. I had a thirteen and a half month old daughter and I was nine months pregnant with my second daughter, so my emotions were a little more elevated than usual. This may have been the reason 31 hit me so hard. No, I think it's the fact that I was in my thirties.



At 31 so many things changed for me. I'm not sure if my age was written on my forehead but I went from "Thank you Miss" to "can I help you carry your bags to your car MAM?" Once you become a "mam" there is no turning back. No one will ever call you Miss again. First it's your server at a restaurant, next it's the cashier at the grocery store and before you know it everyone is calling you "mam."



Next came the aches, pains, and questionable skin marks. To accompany these new ailments there were new doctors, surgeries and physical therapists. I did feel more lively at the physical therapist though. Everyone else was three times my age. Excuse me, that was incorrect. They were only twice my age. Wow, how ten years changes things. Even my memory has faded.



In my twenties I hated being asked for identification when purchasing alcohol. I felt so juvenile. Now that I'm in my thirties I would love for someone to ask for my identification. I shop at the local grocery store where they ask everyone who purchases alcohol for their ID. They say they ask everyone to cover themselves legally; however, I think the person who made up this rule did so in order for the older generation to feel better about themselves physically so you would spend more money. It's working. I shop there just for the complement. Yet, I'm still waiting for the day when the cashier says to me: "wow, you look great for your age!" Will this day ever come?



What began my thoughts on this topic is when someone actually guessed my age today. I was a gasp. Not at the fact that she was discussing my age, but at the fact that she could tell how old I am. I thought I was aging fairly well. I thought I looked a few years younger than I actually am, putting me somewhere in my late twenties, at least that's how old my magic mirror makes me look. One of my close friends recently told me that I look like I'm in my mid-twenties. Now I know she's just being kind.

So when is it that we stop telling others our age? My conclusion: it's when we actually look our age, or worse yet, even older!