My mom never liked to talk about her real age and although she looks great and is still fairly young (if I post it here, I will be disowned), she hates getting older. I always thought I wouldn't care about getting older -- probably because I wanted to rebel and be different from her - but strangely enough, I don't much like it and don't much like the feeling that time is flying and I am, in fact, getting older.

How do you feel about your age and getting older?

I don't like the thought of running out of time, but I do like getting older....kind of a contradiction I guess. I have a birthday coming up this week, and I'm SOOO excited about it. I haven't been this excited about a birthday in a long time.

Most of the time I'm not bothered by my age and getting older. There are certain times though when it does bother me - like when someone calls me "ma'am" or is clearly showing respect for their elders (and I'm not usually THAT much older than them).

I love my age right now. I wish I had the body that I took for granted 10 years ago, of course, but I love my age (and the knowledge and experience that has come with it)!

i love my age but i am shocked because for some reason i thought by this age i would feel a lot older or different or smarter LOL i dont know! when i was younger i used to think 30s were SO COOL and i was excited! then as i was in my late 20s suddenly i was really happy to be in my 20s and not at all excited to be in my 30s! of course you can't do anything about time passing - but i am making an effort to try to really enjoy each day as much as possible! when i look at my mom i realize she really isnt that much different from what i remember of her when i was younger - so you dont have to completely change! though she does seem to forget that she wasnt perfect and i occasionally have to reminder her ;)

I hit the big 3-0 earlier this year and am not so happy about it. I was much happier about my age while in my 20s. But, I do agree with Lylah that there is something nice about the wisdom that accompanies age.

I just turned 40 this year, and like mamajama said, my only problem is how fast my life seems to be going! I LOVED my 30s. I had some awesome single years, met my partner, married him, and had two great kids, not to mention having some great experiences in my career and building my work life to a really good position. Most importantly for me as an individual, I let go of much (not all, still a little healthy neurosis) of my need to try and please other people- and I think this came from the experience of my years. What I find myself thinking about when I consider my 40s is how to sustain- primarily myself physically, but also sustaining the centered-ness that I found in my 30s.

I am not a big fan of my age. I am used to being young for my position/status in life. . .i.e., I had a kid 19, graduated college @ 22 and had a good job while friends were still struggling, and bought a house in the 'burbs @ 23. I was pretty proud of myself for doing so well at 23. . .but now I am 29.5 and in the same house, same line of work and it's not so impressive. I peaked at 23.

I don't really have an issue with my age -- my kids are still young and make me feel young too (until they are all in bed and I lie pooped on the couch )
Although the BIG 40 is looming in the next few years I am determined to do so much between now and then, that its actually quite exciting!!

Linda
www.crazy4color.com

Ladies - I am turning 40 in July and if you haven't heard yet...I AM FREAKIN' a little.

When I look in the mirror I still see somone in their ealry 30's and I say to myself "holy $#(#) where did all that time go?" "am I really turning 40" Not that I say that because it's 'old" but I am more in shock that it's here within a blink of an eye.

Lots of pyshical changes that I deal with too.

Alison - you peaked at 23...please you have so much to be proud of and then some. Continue peaking!

I loved my 30's. It was the first time in my life that I was completely independent. I made a great living, traveled and lived on my own. Now I look back and have a little giggle...I was so busy back then and never had time to do things. It's hilarious. What I would give for an afternoon to myself.

I think about turning 40 and I say to myself "now or never and go for everything". In ten short years I am 50...whaaaa???

I am not thrilled about my age only because life seems to be going fast. I am not one to hide it(obviously). My mother looks amazing. She is 66 and people think she is more like 54. Hopefully the gene sticks.

I have never ever had an issue with my age. I'm 37 now and I frequently find myself planning my 40th birthday party in my head.

I loved my 30s and so far so good on the 40s. I got a late start on the marriage/family thing so I'm often one of the older parents in the room, but usually not the oldest.

27 was a really hard year for me. I wasn't where I had expected to be, crappy job, not married, no children. I felt like I was running out of time and I wasn't even 30 yet. That was the year I figured out that I would be just fine even if nothing went as planned and I never got married or had children.

30 was hard for me. I'm not even sure of the real reasons that was such a difficult age for me.

I just turned 34 a few days ago (19th), and I just feel tired, and a little sad that I didn't do more when I was younger (and had more energy). I know I can go back to school at any age, but I'm just to busy now and too tired. I want to be there as much as I can for my Little Dude, and the Hubby, while balancing my career, for now.

I'm also a little sad we didn't have kids sooner, as we are pretty certain it will just be the one. The Hubby is 45, I'm 34, the math on this really bothers him, when he tries to calculate how old he will be when Little Dude turns whatever age... It would have been nice to have had two kids, eventually.

Otherwise, I appreciate my wisdom and experience and am happy, from that aspect, that we became parents a little bit later.

RC

OK people. Listen to this: I am 41 years old. FORTY ONE. And I guess there really is something to the stock wisdom that 40 is Fabulous.
The pic you see of me with my little guy was taken this year. So I don't really feel badly about aging. I don't really look 41 (thanks to genetic no-wrinkle genes), I work with teens, so I am perpetually immature, but on the other hand, I also inherited stuff from my gene pool that are rearing their ugly heads. Degenerative disc disease, hypertension, and general craziness.
The difference between 30 and 40 is really significant for me. I discovered at 40 what I have been searching for since I was a teenager: finding my even keel. Getting my balance and keeping it real. And I like that. I thought it would be boring. Turns out it's pretty interesting. I feel wise and I feel superior sometimes (in a very immature way: i.e. flipping the bird to the news on T.V. and knowing that I am right

I'm a little unsure about how i feel about my age. My whole life my mother always told me i was older than my years. she said i was too mature for my age. i never really knew what that ment until i hit high school. then it became obvious that i really didn't fit in with kids my own age. i always had a broader outlook on life. my friends were always caught up in clothes and hair styles, while i was thinking about college (although i never made it past my first year because i got pregnant).

I'm still pretty young, but i feel just how my mother described me.....older than my years. A lot of people still say i'm a baby myself, but i look at girls my age and still don't really "fit in."

I look forward to getting older so maybe i will get taken seriously. Not a lot of people take you seriously when they know they were graduating high school or college when you were born. believe it or not ladies there is a down side to youth.

OK. time to fess up. Babs, the same thing happened to me my entire life. I had glasses (see child I am holding) that were much thicker than my kid's. Coke bottles. And heavy enough to permanently dent my nose. Compund this with Braces. the fact that my mother dressed me (and has no fashion sense), my hair was frizzy and worst of all: I was the one they called: "Molly Big Words." this was when they weren't calling me "four eyes" or "Freak."
It's true, I found solace in older kids my entire life (or younger, which is partly why I teach). It's also true that leaving and going 3000 miles away to college changed my life. Suddenly, being bright was a good thing. And unlike everyone I grew up with, they didn't consider my values to be weird or messed up (while all my peers were having reallly expensive birthday parties-which I wasn't invited to)I marched on Washington for Nuclear Freeze day.
Going to college levelled the playing field, graduate school even more so. I was always told by my parents (especially dad):"" You see the world through different eyes. Your view is so interesting and profound. Some day you will appreciate your own uniqueness." That didn't really help. But growing older did. I started to fit my age, so to speak. And I also create a world around me that is of my choosing, something kids don't have the power to do.
Now, people look at my son, and without him opening his mouth, they wax rhapsodically about how smart he is. Glasses, people. What is it about the glasses?
The truth is though, that my kid is really smart. I am going to a meeting at school on Wednesday because he isn't getting anything out of the curriculum. Now he'll be pigeon -holed as GATE. The good news is, that he's a boy and has lots of friends. His good looks are a plus (something I didn't possess in my younger years). and the truth is, at 7, life is good. But what about next year, and the year after. This is why we are having the meeting next week. We need to set the tenor for the years ahead. And it helps that I married a man who is smarter than I am. Seriously. The dude did His dissertation on Milton for his PhD. after switching topics half way through Grad school.
Being smart, looking young, being wise...they all work later on. And it's true, it doesn't always feel that great.

Thanks molly, I guess gals like us are just few and far between. My son is the same way as i was. He picks stuff up really fast, but it seems he like to "play dumb." I actually had parent/teacher meeting last week because he seems uninterested in his school work. But when we sit down to do homework he zips through it. He was writing his full name by the time he was 3.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to "fitting my age" as you so eloquently put it earlier, and yes I agree, being young does have it's downfalls.