Junior Year
Junior year starts in your late 30’s to early 40’s. The beginning stage is 39-44. This is the age category where you have been married before or you have been married for about 10-15 years or more. If you are married either both you and your spouse are working. Or you are a stay at home mom with two to four children. For those of you who are still married, the marriage is going well. It may not be picture perfect, but the two of you have always been able to work it out. You wouldn’t go back to being single for anything. If you are divorced, you have both just gotten divorced within the last 1-3 years; or you are still going through a divorce and it’s not pretty. The worst thing you could do after a fresh divorce is starting dating right away. You are extremely vulnerable. All you see is how the new guy is not like your ex-husband (instead of seeing how they have some similarities). You are trying to adjust to a new life. You may have to start working again. If you are currently working you barely make enough to get by. So after looking at your income and seeing that it’s just not cutting it (regardless if you are receiving child support or not) you decide to go back to school. Since you are trying to show that you are a new woman you may do some things to physically change yourself. Have you heard of the “Mommy Make-over”? This is a cosmetic procedure that gives you the “freshman year” body back. You know the body where you have the flat stomach, perky breasts and can where a bikini. You may spend $8,000 - $10,000, but the pain is worth it. You have everything nipped, cut, sucked and lifted. After all you have had 2-4 children and gravity has taken place. After you obtain this new body, you get a new hair cut and new hair color. You look at your self in the mirror and think “I look 20 again.”
Then you start dressing like your 20 again. You and your teenage daughter go to the junior department of any store and you both start shopping. To your 16 year-old, you are a pretty cool mom, because you can wear the same size clothes. In, reality it’s not cool. Just because you can fit into junior size clothes doesn’t mean you should buy or wear them. After all, who are trying to impress? Your ex definitely doesn’t care (which is why he is your ex and you are his ex), and your kids will only think its cool for so long.
Please don’t be one of those ladies who want to be a cougar. That is foolish. Dating men that are the same age or 3-7 years older than your own children really shows that you are going through a midlife crisis.
Reality starts to set in a few years later which puts you between the ages of 45-56. You start thinking “My kids are grown" (they or may not be out of the house), but the “Mommy Make-Over" you had a few years earlier is not as important. You’re glad that you look good, but shopping in the junior department has lost its appeal. Say you are the mom that was completely happy with herself and had no surgery. At this stage this is first time that you haven’t had your child(ren) live with you. One of your children is possibly in a relationship that may lead to marriage. After all, you want your child(ren) to come you about an important decision like marriage. If your son or daughter is bringing someone home "to meet the parents" – you don’t want either one of them to see you in a pair daisy dukes and a mid-rift shirt – that outfit does not say mature or mother-in-law.
Now you are in the final stages of junior year ages 57-68. Your children are all out of the house you have been dressing as a mature woman for a while. You are completely satisfied with how you look and who you are. All of the superficial things that used to mean something to you when you were younger don’t anymore. You are officially a grandma and are glad to say so. It’s a huge compliment when people say to you “you don’t look old enough to be a grandma.” You are close to retiring and are looking forward to this stage of your life. After all, you have been working for the past 40-50 years and its time for a permanent break. Who knows what you will do with all of this extra time. This phase is a great and exciting way to transition you to senior year.
