We Are Not Our Mothers
Oct 18, 2017
We are not our mothers!!!
We demand so much more from our lives than women of the previous generation. We are not buying into society’s prescribed notions of what women in their 40s, 50s and beyond should and should not be doing. Times have changed. We are the first generation to balance the demands of crazy busy family lives while holding down full-time jobs and meaningful careers. Where our mothers felt powerless against the social stigma of aging women and resigned themselves to the back seat, we are pushing the envelope of what’s possible in midlife. I actually cringe a little bit every time I type the word “middle-aged’ or “midlife”. While it may be accurate in terms of chronological age, the word makes me think of curler-wearing, silver polishing, and housewives. Think June Cleaver!! That so doesn’t describe how I see myself or any of my peers. Our midlife generation is so totally different. We really need a new word. Perennials? What do you think? Not my word, but I kinda like it.
We are more likely to share clothes and shoes with our daughters (albeit maybe styled differently), listen to the same music, attend concerts and be more in touch with the lives of our children’s generation. We stay up to date and actively use the latest technology and are more likely to be competing in or pursuing an athletic endeavor. I’ve seen references to us as the ageless generation, but that’s not entirely true either. We are still aging, but differently. So what does all this mean? It means that we are free to rewrite the rules of what being middle-aged means. We’re throwing the current societal definition in the trash and starting over. We have a blank slate in front of us. How we choose to live our lives from this point will define the new “rules” of “midlifedom”. We will set the stage for our daughters and show them what’s possible. As we turn our energy towards personally fulfilling endeavors and, in some cases, even reinventing ourselves and our lives, hopefully, the word “midlife” will create new connotations of freedom, power, wisdom and living a life-kick-ass life long into old age.
Do you agree? I’d love for you to share your thoughts.
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