There are many different stages of motherhood. From an expecting mother-to-be, all the way to seeing your kids off to college, mums develop and change over time. Along the winding road of motherhood, you’ll enjoy the spoils and perks of each and every stage. But as the years pass by, you’ll be left with one question: which stage of motherhood is best?
Debatably, the most interesting stage for a mother is her 30s. As Catherine Dietrich writes in an article on The Huffington Post, “[T]he truth is, we 30-somethings have let ourselves go. No. We have let ourselves go. We have small children and for the next little while, we will not come first.”
No longer are mums in their 30s the eager, finely-tuned, energetic mummy-machines that they were in their 20s…and, honestly, that’s fine. Mothers are like fine wine. They only get better as they age. For mums in their 30s, this is the point in which they realise and embrace that level of maturity and wisdom. They’ve become a refined, improved version of themselves.
While 30-something mums are arguably the most intriguing mums of all, that’s not the end of the road. “Yes, 40-something is coming, and it’s going to be bliss,” Dietrich writes in her post. Clearly, there’s still much to look forward to for mums in their 30s.
Dietrich may be looking forward to her 40s, but she makes a strong case for the 30s being the best age of for mums. However, you don’t have to rely on only her word!
We took the time to get the opinions of our resident 30-something mums here at theAsianParent. We got to know what they miss about being a mum in her 20s, what they enjoy most about being a mum in her 30s, and what they look forward to about being a mum in her 40s. Here’s what these tenured mums had to say about their mummy-memories and mummy-future!
Pavin:
“What I miss about my 20s is having the energy to run around and the ability to multi-task like a pro. What I find most awesome about being in my 30s is that I have the freedom to do my own little things, now that my boys are older and less dependent on me being there 100 percent of the time. What I am looking forward to in my 40s – spending more time travelling with hubby, when my kids are probably in university then.”
Minoli:
“What I miss about my 20s is my fast metabolism! It came to a screeching halt when I hit 30! I also miss my independence when it comes to making life decisions. What I love about my 30s is that I am way more emotionally mature and secure than I was in my 20s. I think being a mum has forced me to ‘grow up’ – and I like it! I am happy that my kids will be teens when I’m in my 40s and that means (hopefully) they’ll be more independent. Which in turn means I’ll have more quality time to spend on my relationships – with hubby, friends, family and myself, of course!
Roshni:
“For me, I look at people in their 20s and I miss the physical energy I had. I feel like my body has slowed down a little. I need more sleep, more quiet time and I definitely cannot be zipping in and out of countries like I used to. When thinking of my 40s, I look forward to having more me-time, where I can spend hours reading and “chillaxing” with a glass of wine in a hot tub.”
Nalika:
“What I miss about my early to mid-20s is lazy mornings and late nights to ourselves. I miss the freedom of making a decision for myself, without having to think a 100 times about how it will impact on my kids. I miss the spontaneity of being able to head out for a weekend, for a late-night, without (1) packing a bag full of kid things and (2) worrying about the kids while we are away. I don’t miss my immaturity and how I felt the need to please others. This is in contrast to my 30s where I really don’t feel the need to please others just for the sake of it.
I love being a mother for everything it brings with it, including awesome multitasking skills (yes, I’m very proud of them!). In my 20s, I could never have worked the way I do now – from home, managing my writing, the household and the kids – I would have been too distracted. I have matured and I like it. I am also more comfortable with just being ‘me’ and like the mum in [Dietrich’s] article, I’m kind of looking forward to my 40s, but sad at the same time about how fast my babies are growing – but looking forward to seeing their little personalities blossom. It’s complicated, I know.”
Avantika:
“I miss the energy that I had when I was in my 20s and how I had no problems at all when asked to watch TV through the night. In my 30s, I find it tough to keep my eyes open after 11PM, and sometimes I wish I had a baby earlier just so that I could manage running around with my toddler with ease. My 5-year-old is an early riser and I rarely get to sleep late even on Sundays. That’s another thing that I miss the most. As a mum in my 30s, I hope my daughter doesn’t grow up too fast and I miss all her amusing stories. I really dread the 40s as my daughter would be a teen then and I would definitely miss all the TLC!”
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