The Upside of Being an Older Mom

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Elderly Primigravida. Not the most flattering adjective to describe a first time, glowing mom to be. But there they were. Those words were on the summary of every prenatal visit I had. I never planned to be 35 and 37 when I had my children, but that’s where my path took me.

I have learned that there are pluses and minuses to being a mom in your late 30’s and beyond.

Here are just a few of the pluses I have discovered so far.

Career and stability. After talking to countless friends and fellow moms, I feel like a lot of us have to sometimes choose between a career and having children. I always wondered if I had had children earlier in life, what type of career I may have had to sacrifice to raise a family. After six years of college and 13 plus years in the corporate world, I feel like I was able to successfully establish a career. I know what I am capable of. It has helped me to understand what is most important to me right now (but that’s another blog post for another time).

Along with a career came financial stability. My husband and I were able to build a nest egg and felt comfortable knowing we had a roof over our heads and a food on our table. We were, at least financially, ready for a family.

Travel. In my 20’s and early 30’s I was fortunate enough to not only travel the US, but also some of Canada and Europe. Whether it was for work, to see friends that lived across the country, or to travel abroad with my husband, I feel I was able to explore the globe – child and worry free. My husband and I still travel, and it is an adventure to say the least with small kiddos in tow, but it is certainly a different sort of adventure. Adventures that usually includes theme parks, zoos, and restaurants with loud animals or creepy clowns; not exotic river boat cruises, operas, or champagne.

Age is just a number. And one of my favorite plus discoveries of being a mother in my late 30’s, is that I feel that being an older mom is actually helping me to stay young. I know it sounds a little conflicting, but chasing a toddler around from sun up to sun down will keep anyone youthful to some degree, right? And I honestly don’t think that being 10 years younger would have made the sleepless nights followed by marathon pool days, park play dates, and tantrums any less tiring or more manageable.

Overall, my little family keeps me on my toes, not allowing me to drift lazily into middle age by an stretch of the imagination – and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Are you an older mom? What benefits have you found to be true for you?