An older article....written by Rio Denali
Times are changing, yes indeed.
My husband and I watched a TV show tonight on a PBS-type of channel, that got us talking. The show examined the social impact on children, of a family's passed-down stories. The documentary was filmed around 25 years ago. As they discussed the generations of the family, the narrator made a comment about the grandparents being around 40 years old, "middle-aged; a time in life where a person is typically in the height of their career and enjoying spending time with their grandchildren."
I began to ponder how much times have changed since that was filmed only a few decades ago. My husband is 40, and I am 38 years old....and we are the proud parents of a 2-year old. Not quite grandparent material, and certainly not ready to claim the title of "middle-aged" as our own.I started thinking about my parents' and grandparents' generations, when people commonly married and started families younger. My grandfather's generation had a much lower life-expectancy, and being that he passed away at 75 years old the narrator was pretty accurate; 40 years old truly was middle-aged for him and his generation.
Now, with many of us delaying marriage and parenthood until we are well into our 30's, forty has an entirely different feel to it. It is hard to think of one's self as middle-aged while actively participating in procreation. Being a new parent, although exhausting, has a way of making one feel renewed, alive; and gives a new feeling of vitality.
And with news reports that more and more of us are becoming centenarians, I am thinking that I have another 12 years before I am going to embrace the middle-aged title as my own. I just don't feel as though I deserve it yet. I have not accomplished half of what I am meant to do. I need more time....
I cannot say that I will live to be one hundred, but according to the article How to Live to Be 100 Years Old, I am doing many of the right things. In fact, many of us are on the right path. "By the year 2050, America will be home to an estimated 1 million centenarians." With more Americans sliding into the title "centenarian" it only stands to reason that the term "middle-aged" is sliding too.When I think of middle-aged, I picture gray hair, matronly clothing in dark colors, and sensible shoes. I don't see an athletic blonde running behind a jogging stroller. Nope, that's not me. You can keep that title for now....check back with me in 12 years!
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- This article was originally featured on RioDancesOnTheSand.com, a blog for the thinking person... Written by Rio Denali, a 30-something with peculiar curiosities, who makes the observations that many of us avoid. Full of useful links and entertaining articles, it is a fun favorite for the intelligent reader. For more great articles like this, please visit RioDancesOnTheSand.com.
