Observations of an OTS (Older Than Some) Mom

I’m trying to come up with a cutesy name for being a mom of a toddler at my age (39 and holding, thank you very much). You know like Yuppie or Gen X… I want something like that. Between my oldest and youngest, there are 17 years. And I wasn’t 12 when I had my oldest, so there.

I can’t seem to come up with a cute label, but I do have some observations:

• It keeps you young:  Paranoid of being asked if my son is my grandson, I will single-handedly spur the economy’s recovery with investments in hair color and anti wrinkle creams.
• It gives you a better excuse than “Senior Moment”: I can excuse memory lapses on sleep deprivation or “mommy brain” rather than early onset Alzheimer’s.
• I’m calmer now: With my first daughter, I poured over baby books and hung on others’ advice as though they were nuggets worthy of Proverbs.  With my youngest, I’m just calmer. I’m not stressed when he’ll reach a milestone. He can go one night without a bath. He can climb the tv console…
• I *might* be smarter: When I was pregnant with the baby, my daughter commented she felt sorry for him. She feels between what I learned on my paycheck job (working with troubled teens) and with my older kids paving the way– this baby won’t be able to get away with anything. I don’t like to say this too loud though because I don’t want it misconstrued as a challenge.
• They’re cheaper this time ’round: What I spend on anti aging efforts, I am saving in baby gear. There are aisles upon aisles of crap you just don’t need.
• It makes my teenagers easier: Parenting a teen is everything I was ever warned about. I thought people must have been exaggerating. Nope. But having a baby nearby makes it easier, because I have a handy reminder that those teens used to have cute little baby toes too.
• I can’t be a cynic: Don’t worry, I’m still a smart a**. But after a certain point, that quality usually ages into cynicism. You can not be cynical around a baby. My littlest guy finds the world so enchanting, I find it impossible not to agree with him.