Feeling My Age

Waiting for the fireworks to start, my daughter bounded up a small hill to play with another little girl. The two little girls had never met before, but their matching height and gender seemed to be all that was needed for friendship to blossom.

I sat on a mat and instructed her to stay where I could see her.

Parked next to my car was the other little girl's mother, who gave her little girl similar instructions. I'm no good at guessing ages, but I would ballpark her to be in her early 20s.

As our daughters ran up and down the hill, sometimes racing, other times just running to be running, I thought about striking up a conversation with the other mom. Maybe our daughters would be in school together, in which case, knowing the mother better would be a positive.

I found myself reluctant to talk to her, though, because of the difference in our ages. It's something that's run through my mind several times since the day I learned I was pregnant. Would I be able to relate to the mothers of my child's friends if they're all young enough to be my own daughter? Or would I feel like an outsider at PTA meetings, T-ball games and school plays?

My doctor has asked me if I plan to have another baby. I told her I'd like to, but I worry about my age. She told me she has one pregnant patient who is 45 now. I know my doctor cannot give me her name and phone number, so I didn't ask, but I'd like to meet her and talk about raising a young child at our age. Perhaps we can meet others just like us so that the next time I'm faced with walking up to another mother, I'll feel more like one of the moms instead of a novelty.

Like this blog? Vote for me by clicking the banner below, and see more Top Mommy Blogs.