"No. No I'm not. And what the heck makes you think I'm old?!" Oh, yeah, I guess I AM old. For being a mom of a 4-year old, that is. These days, one doesn't really think of 49 as old. Fifty is supposed to be the new 30, right?
Still, the first time I was asked this, I was in shock. I'm afraid I didn't take it as well as I could have. After all, I was asked that by a six-year old classmate of my daughter's. At that time, I was only 41. I've had significant amounts of gray in my hair since my mid-20s and I haven't dyed my hair since before Grace was born, so I don't equate "gray" with "old." But I can see where a six-year old would.
I quickly overcame the shock and forgave that little boy for his impudence. I even found another older mom among the parents of Grace's classmates. A mom through adoption, but still a mom dealing with all the same issues. Sitting in a parent's-night with a bunch of 20-somethings was interesting for us, to say the least. :)
Now that I have the twins, I am running into this problem more frequently. I get the little comments, totally harmless in intent, but still unsettling, when out with them. Maybe some of you have heard these:
"I can't wait until I'm a grandparent and can give the kids back to their parents when I'm done with them" (a young woman behind me in line at the grocery store, trying to make chit-chat while my boys were acting up)
"Are these your first grandchildren?" (seems to happen mostly in elevators - I have no clue why)
"I'm always buying stuff for my grandkids, too." (with a 'knowing' chuckle in the toy aisle of the local big box store).
These days, I just smile, and let the twins correct the folks when they start going "Mom... can I have yyy?" or "Mom, I love you!" I have come to love the look of surprise on the faces of those folks. Not to mention the looks on the faces of those who didn't say anything, but obviously were thinking along similar lines.
Anyone out there have a good story of mistaken identity? I'd love to hear yours!
That's it until next time. Remember - you are only as old as your kids allow you to be.
