Suddenly Looking Older & I'm an Older Parent

[Lavenderdays]

I'm around mid 40's with a one year old (plus older children including a teenager).
I am not vain but recently, I looked in the mirror and was shocked to see how much older I have become over this past year. It shouldn't come as any major surprise to me given my age but I have up until this point been mistaken for someone at least 5 years younger in age.
Plus now I have minor health niggles, it's as if age has caught up with me all of a sudden.
Whilst I want to normalise the aging process, I do feel conscious that I have a one year old and I don't want to be mistaken for baby dcs grandmother. I feel more comfortable being the mother of my teenager because I look about the right age if that makes sense...that my child as aged with me I suppose. I don't regret having baby dc but in some ways I wish I had them when I was a bit younger for their sake (whilst I realise there are lots of pros to having dcs older).
Just wondering if anyone else is an older parent and has had this realisation? I have never dyed my hair up until this point but seriously contemplating it as more and more grey hair is starting to appear!

Never bothered me, I had my first child at 43 and was occasionally mistaken for his grandmother, but I just laughed it off, the person making the mistake was more embarrassed . Have confidence in yourself, you are lucky to have teenagers and a new baby (can they help with babysitting ?)

Having at child when you're in your 40s is definitely not unusual now, well not at my DCs school anyway. Please don't feel you need to change yourself to keep up with the Joneses. If you'd like a makeover for your own wellbeing then that's a different matter. I started with grey hair in my early 20's so don't worry about that ageing you x

I am not an older parent but having children has really aged me. I feel downright haggard despite being only in my mid twenties.

Thank you for your comments x It isn't about keeping up with the Joneses...but whilst saying that, unusually there aren't many older parents in my middle dcs school year, so I suppose the contrast is there a bit more on the school run...plus several of the grandparents look so young!

I think it is a bit more about how I am feeling about myself. I have minor health niggles too which may or may not be rectified (will be seeing the GP in due course) which I think are adding to the way I feel currently, plus months of sleepless nights are probably now beginning to take their toll. Just feel like I'm getting older all of a sudden, when it hadn't really occurred to me before and dare I say it, I am most likely in the thick of peri-menopause (was informed that I would be entering early menopause previously), so this is probably what is beginning to happen...so lucky to have had baby because of this x