Birthday Woes

So as of 7:51pm I stat the last year of my 20s and as ridiculous as this sounds I am NOT happy about it. I don't know what the deal is. Most of the people I know who are 30 is when it hit them and a lot of them cried when that birthday came and then later realized that it was better than their 20s. I don't know I am just down in the dumps that this is the last year I can say I am a 20 something without lying...HA!

I went to buy smokes for DH the other day and didn't get ID'....WTH, do I look as old as I feel? I mean sheesh I was carded up until I was 27 and now all of a sudden my age shows? Blah.

I feel like I am in this libo stage in my life. Do I start wearing "adult" clothes, do I start shopping in the "adult" section, should I start listening to Aaron Neville and easy listening? No offense I'm just remembering what my Mom was life when she was in her 30s.

Ah well. Such is life I suppose. Another year, another wrinkle.

 

When I turned 30, it was a little shock to the system "wow, my 20's are over and I have to really act like a grown up" :laughing: But what I happily discovered is as much fun as my 20's were, I am enjoying my 30's a whole lot more. I seem to get more confidence as I age..I wear the clothes I like and listen to the music I like to listen to (always been a classic rock and alternative fan, even as a teen, so that has not changed). I just say make the best of it and you might find it surprisingly enjoyable!

 

30s are better than 20s for me. I've always been a bit of an old soul, so now I feel my age. Listen to whatever you want, but yes, start buying adult clothes. All women over 25 should be buying adult clothes. No shopping in the juniors section please!

 

I've really enjoyed my 30's! Much better than my 20's. And yeah, go for adult clothes. You can still find cool, trendy, fun stuff in the adult section!

 

I was upset when I hit my 30's. :faint: ardon: BUT it turns out the 30's (for me) are much better then my 20's! I feel like my life is more together and I'm happy... plain and simple, I'm happy. :good: Age is just a number and if you feel young, that's great! I think what's helped me is that I'm in better shape now then I was in my 20's and I feel better about myself.

As far as clothes go... I agree with a previous poster, definitely no junior section clothing :lol: all the other things you do not have to change. I still listen to the same music I listened to when I was a teenager, I'm not sure why anyone would change their taste in music due to age.

 

Yeah, I freaked on my 30th birthday too. I had just moved across the country and knew no one, and felt very sorry for myself. But I have to say my 30s were *way* better than my 20s; I got healthier, made a great career change, and actually learned to dress well for once. And now, I can honestly say that my 41-year-old self can kick the @ss of my 21-year-old self in every way shape and form. :lol:

As far as juniors clothes, as long as it looks nice and most importantly *fits you*, wear what you like! I have absolutely no hips to speak of, and junior-size pants often fit me better than women's sizes. :good: Bonus is that juniors clothes are often cheaper.

Embrace your womanhood!!

 

I thought turning 30 was bad .. then I turned 40. :laughing:

As far as clothes shopping .. I still poke around in the Jr's section. :blbl:

 

Turning 30 didn't bother me at all...I still dress the same, listen to the same music, etc. I'm still the same person, just a few years older (I'll be 32 in February). But I have always acted and seemed older than my age - when I was a teenager, I usually preferred to hang out with adults or with a few close friends my age or a bit older. I'm starting to get gray hair, but I think I still look pretty young for my age - when I was 22 and started teaching high school, I was mistaken for a student MANY times. And when I was graduating from college, someone at a restaurant asked me what high school I was graduating from.

 

I was the weird one who was excited about turning 30. Like Rachael I'm kind of an old soul. I still listen to my music and rock out with my girls, I wear whatever clothes I think look good on me (forever 21 has some cute stuff, as does Ann Taylor- depends on where I'm going ), and feel like at almost 36 I'm becoming comfortable in my own skin. I have more grey hair than I like (so I color it), and the odd times I get carded, I always thank the person Age is just a number. Maybe my feelings come from the fact that my husband is 18 years older than me but you would never know it from how he looks or how he acts. I'm the old lady in the relationship and he's the wild one :laughing:

Happy birthday!

 

I just turned 29 again last year (I refuse to say the actual number out loud) and it has not been fun for me. My friends from back home are mostly all older than me so they keep saying "it's no big deal, yadda yadda" but all my friends where I live are military and are much younger than me (23-26 range). So now I am 10x more ancient in their eyes. It sucks.


I still shop in Juniors most of the time but I find a lot of the Jrs. stuff is too slutty for me, but the women's department is too conservative. Plus, I'm very skinny so stuff in the women's dept. doesn't fit. There doesn't seem to be a happy medium.

 

I'm barely 5' tall and am a size 6. I can't find stuff in the womens dept that looks right on me. I love jeans and I've found American Eagle and Lucky's seem to fit the best.

 

I was sad last year when I turned 29 too. I don't know why, I guess for the same reasons you mentioned, knowing it was the last year of my 20s. I just turned 30 a few weeks ago, and that didn't phase me. I guess I got over it last year. Or maybe in the last year I've had time to think of good things about being out of my 20s. My girl friends and husband are all 34, so I still feel young compared to my group of friends. I can remember teasing my husband that his age rounded to 30, and pretty soon I'll be able to tease him that he rounds to 40. :lol:

 

30's are great! More enjoyable to me than my 20's. As for clothes, buy and wear what you are comfortable in. I still shop in Jr's because the jeans fit me better (if I buy women's jeans, the hip part is too big).

 

Twenty nine was hard for me, but it was more about where I was in my life. My twenties were....lets say eventful and I was actually excited about thirty when it finally arrived. As far as dress, I still shopped the jr until I had the twins and they did not fit "right" anymore. Then my thirties were a whirl wind, got married, moved (a couple of times) mom got sick, got preggo with twins.... Thirty eight was hard for me too. This was the 20 year HS reunion year. I felt unhappy with where I was career wise (I did not have one I had 5 y/o twins), my family was great but I was feeling overwhelmed, felt like I should be in a different place in my life...lots of soul searching to realize I was where I wanted.

Good luck.

 

I do love AE jeans! I love their 'boyfriend' fit.

 

Turning a different age has never been hard for me. I am 36 and still act like I am 16. lol I think my 30's were way better than my 20's. Good luck.


Brandy

 

Wow, you are all so young. I'm going to be 45 in a little over a week.

Honestly, I liked my 20s, liked my 30s and am enjoying my 40s. I've been at very different places in each of those decades and they've all been great.

 

I'm right behind you Maureen !! :blbl:

I can still act like a 16yr old if my mood is right. Just watch me on my Wii !

 

Umm... wow. :blink: I'm turning 38 in a couple weeks. Get over it. You know when you should start dressing like an adult? When you are one. Stop going to the junior's section before the fashion police pull you over. And tell your DH to quit smoking.

ETA - I know this sounds bitchy, but your post was pretty insulting.

 

I'm 31 and loving my 30's. But I was ready to be 30 and felt good when I did. I've always looked really young for my age and am actually appreciating the fact that I can go to Vegas and not get carded every single time I sit at a table or order a drink, now it's just 75% of the time :lol:
I'm finally starting to see the real me, who I want to be in another 10 years and knowing I can reach those goals. I look back 10 years ago and I've reached those goals that I had set. My mom died when she was only 53 so I'm embracing all of my years...
Happy Birthday and go have a drink and enjoy yourself!

 

I flipped out at 29 because I didn't really have my life together. Me and DH were in limbo living together but not really talking about our future, I had a full time job but I didn't really love it that much, I was still in debt from school. So I wigged out and by the time I was 32 I was married with month old twins and a new house. So 29 was a huge motivator for me! Now I am pretty comfortable in my 30s. Most of my friends are much older than me, so they keep me in check too .

I am curious why you think her post was insulting? It's pretty normal to hit milestone ages and wig out a bit... I have younger friends who were just freaking out about turning 25! I don't take it as an insult with them thinking I am old, just more that to them it's a milestone that they have to wrap their own heads around.

 

I was insulted too. For those of us who are older than 30 it sounds like we are all doddering old fogeys that she is afraid to turn into. It also felt like: "I'm so young and cute I get carded for smokes now I will turn into one of you old ugly people"

OP- get over yourself. We all get older every day be happy and content for like every moment this will pass. You babies will be your current age before you know it, enjoy this time instead of feeling sorry for yourself.

 

I didn't find it insulting at all... I found this to be rude though.

I don't know, I guess I might have felt insulted if I was jealous, but I love my 30's and figure she just doesn't know how good they are, yet. Just my 2c.

 

That's exactly what I was thinking. She just doesn't know yet how much better 30s are than 20s. Seriously, your 20s are insane. Your 30s are where you get it together.

I stand by my advice on juniors clothing though. I have no doubt many of you can fit into juniors, but I also have no doubt you'd look better in misses clothing that fits. There are lines that run toward the smaller end for the thin among us.

 

As a 36 year old (newly minted), I did not find the OP's original comment insulting. I think it's common to feel ambivalent when hitting new age milestones. You don't know how a new decade is going to treat you until get through it. At least I didn't. The older I get, the more I look back on a teenage me and shudder with horror...I was so awkward and not really confident and I don't want to be that person again.
I have to agree that the 30's (for the most part, there have been some sucky things) have been the best decade of my life.

 

You hit the nail on the head. I think the only way I'd be insulted by the OP's post is if I were jealous because now that I'm here I love being here... three years ago I was depressed I was turning 30 ardon:

Sounds like some still aren't comfortable in the shoes they are in. :youcandoit:

 

I didn't have a problem with 30. Even 40 didn't bother me too much. Even my 25th high school reunion wasn't hard. However when my daughter turned 21, yeah that made me feel old. Really OLD.

 

Talk about feeling old .. read my newest thread ! :faint:

 

I was feeling pretty bad about turning 30, then my grandpa died on my actual birthday. So it was really awful. But since then I've been really enjoying my 30's, way much more than my 20's. I feel much more confident and focused. By now I've discovered what works for me and what doesn't and I'm not afraid to let people know either. The 30's have treated me pretty good so far, I almost can't wait to see what the 40's have in store.

 

I'm not jealous at all. It was insulting because as Kellie said, she was painting everyone over 30 as old fogeys, like you have to go listen to easy listening and stuff. And sorry, but not getting carded anymore to buy cigarettes? You're already 10, now 11 years past 18. If you're still getting mistaken for 18, well then you probably look pretty immature. Hence the advice to get out of the junior's section. You're a wife, a mother, you're an adult.
Look, I get having an OMG moment about hitting an age milestone. 30 didn't really phase me. I might freak a little at 40, but not like "Oh I better go check into a nursing home!" Many of my friends are 40 and over, and they are hardly old fogeys.

 

i'm turning 30 on january 7 & i'm so freakin' thrilled! from all accounts, i've heard the 30s are a good decade & many women really start to live in their skin & enjoy who they are (and from the responses in this thread, it seems like that holds true). i figure i'm like a fine wine - i'm only gonna get better with age!

:hug: hopefully by next year, you'll be feeling better about things. if not, you can celebrate the 1st anniversary of your 29th birthday.

 

On my 30th birthday I went to my first concert for my favourite band. 6 years later and 18 concerts later I still rock out in the front row. (of course, the band is country so totally old fogy - Doc Walker)

I can remember my mom when she was my age in 1982. There is a picture of her that day and she looks like a baby. (people still put both my parents in their 40s)

Here the rule in you have to card for cigarettes if someone looks under 30.

 

IMO, 30's are hands down better than 20's. Things that bothered me in my 20's do not phase me at all now. I'm much more laid back and have a much better way of looking at things. Sure, more things ache, but I will take the body aches in exchage for the mental maturity I now have. 30's Rock!

 

I was thrilled to hit 30. I felt that I would finally be taken as an adult. I had Joel and was pregnant with the twins. I felt like I was finally a grown up when I hit 30, not sure why since I hadn't live with my parents since I was 18 and by then Scott and I had been married 8 years. I will hit 40 very very soon, and I feel the same way. I am growing up and am a happier, wiser, kinder and more compassionate person than I was at 20. I figure it can only get better.

I didn't find it insulting. I found it kind of humorous. Like how a teen sees older people. The OP's post just seemed more silly than insulting.

 

i hated 29 it was a horrible year...and sadly so was 39....On the other hand 30 was pretty good, so i have high hopes for 40.

I think there is this weird transition in your 20s or 30s about birthdays. We spend so much of our early years waiting to be old enough to do X...once you hit 25 (car insurance goes down), there is not much benefit to getting older, i.e. no driver's license, no legal drinking until medicare.

Personally i think that is one of the issues with milestone birthdays....just my 2 cents. (which is worth more since I"m 40).