If 50 is the New 30, Then Why is My Bedtime 10pm?!

Last weekend was one of my sisters-in-law’s 50^th birthday.  She and my MIL discussed that 50 is the new 30, 60 is the new 40, etc, when MIL said she didn’t look 50, (and she really doesn’t. It wasn’t a mother’s bias talking.) I can see that. Women, especially, are taking better care of themselves, and staying active for longer periods, eating healthier, and life expectancy is greater than it used to be a century ago.

But, that’s the outside, what about the inside? I’m just one year from 50, and I don’t feel 29. I get migraines when it rains, my knees hurt, my ankle is taking too long to heal, and forgetting why I entered a room is a daily thing, actually several times a day. My kids are taking advantage of my forgetfulness, and punishing them doesn’t work because I forget that I’ve grounded them!

And when I was 29 I could stay up until 4 am, get up at 6 am and still work a productive, full day. It seems with each half decade my bedtime moves back 2 hours. I’m now at 10p. We have a strict bedtime routine, not because it’s good for the kids, and they need to be rested for school, it’s for me! They have to be in bed by 9:30, so I can get in bed by 10. (9:30 may seem late for the 7 yo, but any earlier and he’s up at 4:30! At 9:30 he’ll sleep til 6.)

And it’s easier to gain weight. And harder to lose it. And I can’t find my waistline anymore. And I have bifocals. And . . . okay I need to stop whining, because I have gained patience, (although I have less tolerance for nonsense), compassion for others, more empathy, self-confidence, and hopefully more wisdom. Solomon is one of my biblical heroes because he longed for wisdom, and I have enough experience to value wisdom over beauty or money. And I’m wise enough to know that when I’m rested I’m less forgetful. So, in a few more years my bedtime will be 8p, and the kids will be putting me to bed!