MILF

I'm not saying I am one. I'm just now recognizing that I'm at the age where I could be CONSIDERED one. This was never more evident than at the pool today. My good friend, Courtney, and I were being splashed in the faces by our busy boys and I looked at her and said, "We're old." We're both in our mid-30's and we're now the moms who wear one-pieces, regulate our rule-breaking children and serve up peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. The music was blaring overhead and an 80's classic by Poison came on the radio. I looked at her and said, "I bet the lifeguard wasn't even born yet when this song was popular and here we are singing it word-for-word." So, to humor myself, the next time I floated by him I casually asked his age. 19 was his answer. I had that "I feel old" thought again and not so much because of the actual age difference but because he gave me the pitiful "but you still look 19" line. Yeah right. I'd give him 25, but 19 is a stretch. So, being the mom that I am, I told this young, strapping lifeguard to enjoy life, not grow up too fast and don't settle down too quickly. I even thought to tell him to always wear a condom (don't worry, I didn't). He was personable and chatty and made me feel like my sage advice was not falling on deaf ears. His mama obviously taught him to respect his elders. Today really showed me that age is a state of mind. I don't feel 34 but I know I'm starting to look the role. Don't get me wrong, I know for a fact I would not want to be 19 again unless I could take with me all that I learned in my 20's. That was a hard decade. I'm just learning that "lady" and "ma'am" are titles that now apply to me and that if you blink too long life will pass you by. I love my life and love where I am on this journey. I wouldn't want anything to be different. However, every woman wants to know she's still got "it". So, when I exited the pool, I sucked in my stomach and hid my cellulite behind my two year-old. I'd like to think I caught the eye of the lifeguard............or maybe he was just stretching his neck? Sigh.