The Cruelty of 48
That stage of life where you’re sandwiched between newly independent kids and newly dependent parents
My Mom always cautioned me of this cruel life stage, my late 40s. I watched first hand as she lived it several decades ago and I’ve heard her tell the same story over and over. So it’s not like this should be a shock for me. But, I guess, we don’t know what we don’t know. In other words, until you experience it, you can never really grasp how brutal this stage is, nor how demanding the toll — both physically and emotionally.
Maybe I allowed the idea of a fire-eating Sex and the City Samantha to be a sort of inspirational character. A woman entering her 40s like a sexy soaring eagle, uninhibited and unafraid of the summit. Grabbing life by the balls and doing whatever you want (whenever, wherever), without an ounce of regret.
That romanticized ideal would be my fault. Totally. Because so far? I’ve done more crying than laughing this decade, much of which has occurred this year alone. Which is unusual for me. My 40s have been an emotional roller coaster, and 48 appears to be the crest.
The cruelty at this age, as Mom explained it, is multi-faceted. The two biggest contributing factors are:
- having kids that are newly independent, and
