Venting!

[KiminChicago]

Just remind them that 50 is the new 30 (according to the commercial), so 30 must be like the new 17.

I just turned 50 this year and one of my friends asked me how it felt. I told her that it really didn't feel any different than turning 49 or 48 or any other year. Then I told her the story of how I was talking to my son's music teacher just the other day and I realized that my DS will be driving in three (short) years. I said "I'm too young to have a son that will be driving!" Then I realized I wasn't .

I've come to the conclusion that there is way too much emphasis placed on age -- you really are as old as you feel so some days I'm 5 and other days I'm 70.

 

[Disney Doll]

What do they know? They're young and stupid.

I've never had an issue with age.
My theory is, and always has been, that getting old is better than the alternative, at least for now. I'm 48.

Maybe when I'm 95 I'll feel differently.

 

[MiniGirl]

Yeah, I really don't understand why women get hung up on age. FTR, I hated being in my 20s. I was having a great time, but nobody took me seriously. If I expressed an opinion about some current event, inevitably someone would tell me that I would feel differently about it if I were older. Ugh!!! I hated that, so I LOVED turning 30. I finally felt like and was accepted as a grown-up. (Of course, I also got married that year and lost both my parents, so a lot of grown-up experiences happened that year as well.)

I will turn 45 this fall, and life is just getting better and better for me.

 

[Kit'smommy]

I am 36 and wouldn't go back to my 20s for anything. I had a job I hated, we had no money and I couldn't get pg even though I really wanted a baby.

I got pg with Kit right before my 30th birthday. Now, I have a wonderful DH, a beautiful 6 year old, a paid off house, a pretty little Mercedes (yeah, the 35th B'day was a good one - thanks DH!), money in the bank and I job that I like. I am also in great shape and look much younger than my age, so I think my 30s are pretty good...

 

[lovesmurfs]

Turning thirty is better than the alternative.....

Seriously. I'm 42, and ever since kids came along, I've had to calculate it because I don't remember how old I am. It's so stupid to think that a calendar can change the way I feel about myself. That said, it helps that DH is 11 1/2 years older than I am!

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

I've been known to reply to such ignorance with a variation of, "I like being an adult."

Buying into the inherent ageism in this society does no one any good. It's similar to the "need to be toothpick thin to be beautiful" nonsense.

Everyone ages, or dies. Which would you prefer? There are far more joys associated with being an adult than there are with being a child.

If they can't see that, then no explanation will suffice.

 

[FireDancer]

When people asked me if I minded turning 30 (32 now) I told them the only alternative is dying at 29. I'll take turning 30

I'm older then most of my friends so I get ribbed about it but you are as old as you feel and I can still kick most of their butts at anything fitness related so I can give it back.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I'm sorry that happened to you.

Do they even know your age?

The decades are tough. My mom hated her 30s, but loved her 40s and is enjoying her 50s.

When I was a young whipper snapper with my first child, some moms in my playgroup were in their 30s and I thought *to myself* that it seemed so far away.

The only person who harrasses me about my age is my "little" brother who just turned 30 himself this year, so we get to dish it back.

But each decade has their stigma--I would hope that once you reach 40, 50, and beyond--that you realize that if you are around people who feel those ages are "old" and aren't looking forward to reach that age--that it is not a reflection on you that they think you are so ancient.

I'm 35 and I constantly joke about my geriatric age b/c I crossed the magical line of "advanced maternal age".

At "my advanced age"--I remember fondly back when I was in my teens and wow--how OLD that was. It's laughable now.

I even got a few times from my dd9 questions about if I was alive at certain points in histor--you know..like was I there when they settled Jamestown or signed the Declaration of Independence.

I'd take it with a grain of salt and try not to get it to you. You are NOT old...your co-workers are just naive.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Just need to vent a little. I work as a preschool teacher and there are all women where I work. I am a little older then most of my coworkers...like 2 years or so. The issue I have is these girls are under 30 and I'm over thirty. They all talk as if turning 30 is the end of the world and if you are single and 30 well then it's just game over. It's so rude I just can't believe it! Sorry this is so long. I just needed to get this out

I turn 30 in a couple of years. I don't dread it in the fact that I think I'm all of a sudden going be 'old' (in fact, I don't really dread it at all), I think it just makes a lot of people think about how fast the past 12 years since high school went by and evaluate whether their lives are where they wanted or hoped they'd be by 30.

I am recently single and I'm the only person I know in my circle of people that isn't married. It really doesn't bother me as I look at all that I'm able to do being single, run whenever I want, read for hours if I want, etc. I figure I'll meet the right guy eventually, I'm just going to enjoy life whether I do or not. LOTS and LOTS of people meet the person they want to spend the rest of their life with in their 30's, 40's, 50's, and beyond. I work in a mainly elderly based career (Estate Planning) and I see people ALL OF THE TIME that have gotten married in their 60's-80's.

So even if they say they don't want to be "old" and that's why they don't want to turn 30 there's usually more behind it than they think they're going to all of a sudden inherit 80 cats, a rocking chair, and a Bingo habit.

 

[bettymae1121]

It was weird. All through my 20's I felt I'd have no problem turning 30, 40, whatever. Until I turned 30 and it totally blew my mind. I'm about turn turn 34 and I'm finally okay with it...sort of. Hopefully I'll take turning 40 with better grace!

 

[Ember]

My friends are all on this kick, too. It's really irritating. We all turn 30 this year, with my birthday being the last. I don't have any issues with it, it's just a number. Besides, I think my 30's are going to be amazing.

But I look at my friends and just don't understand the problem. Especially when I compare our lives, which for the most part I don't do, but still... Each of my friends own their own home, they have beautiful possessions and are trying for babies. They're so "grown up." Their family's are healthy and everything seems great, so what's the problem?! My own life is in tatters right now having lost my mummy a few weeks ago, the only thing I own is my 2002 Echo, I'm still renting, my husband is still in school, and I'm only working part time. And yet I'm the one feeling optimistic about the future?! How does that work?...