To pray that 43 is not middle aged!

[saltnpepa]

It's my birthday next week and I feel totally depressed that I may now be middle aged

Innit pacific

middle aged in the literal term, probably.
however, it is for me a great thing, I am loving being this age.

Warning Poem - I am already rather fond of purple, but still hold it together for my very young children

Nothing wrong with being middle-aged. Prime of your life, isn't it?

Don't ever think you are 'old' though, when you are 70, 43 will look really young, and when you are 90, 70 looks like a spring chicken.

Well I think technically you probably are middle aged, what age do you expect to live to? How many people do you know that live to 100? How many more do you know that don't?
It's no bad thing, apart from I have to agree with the travel faffing!

Current life expectancy is 82.5....so yes you are middle aged.

Nothing is wrong with middle-aged, would you rather the only alternative?

I'm Middle and Proud .

I'm almost mid40's and I don't feel middle aged. I'm still a twenty something in my head if not a teenager. I'd be horrified if someone referred to me as middle aged, even though I probably am

Middle aged and proud.

We need to reclaim the word. It's fine.

Just look at my username. It's great being middle aged. No mortgage, DCs becoming very independent, far more confidence than 10 or 20 years ago.

I'm fitter and healthier than many people I know who are a lot younger than me.

43 really isn't middle aged anyway!

Of course it's middle aged. It's a life stage, not a character defect.

The same goes for being old.

im 46, my partner is 33, I certainly dont feel or look middle aged either.. life is what you make of it.

I remember feeling like that at 43

Someone suggested it is because it is a prime number.

I have been several prime numbers since, but 43 is a particularly dull one, especially after 42, which is a bit more exciting.

51 doesn't seem too bad for some reason. Maybe I have got used to it.

I always thought 35 was classed as middle aged as we were supposed to live 3 score and 10 years. Think that was from the bible though and we live a little longer now

I've been 43 since Saturday, it's all right so far.

Getting older is good. It means you're still alive

Oh god, im delighted to be middle aged. I know my (considerable) insecurities and flaws and I can live iwth them. I am fitter than I have been for about 20 years. I have two lovely small children and a good husband - couldn't say that at 25!

I know what I want and what I am happy with.

I have experience and have developed imo some depth of character. Younger people are often chrysalises for the future person and you have to wait and see. The thought of the physical limitations of the future is not encouraging but the gains you have at 'middle age' are a thousand times better than at 17 =)

I'm deep into middle age. I remind myself of that every day because I still have things I want to do with my life and I need to get a move on.

I don't want to be on my deathbed bleating that I only feel 20 on the inside. I'd rather feel knackered and ready for a rest.

I am 42 and happily consider myself middle aged. Can't be doing with this cult of youth, you are young or you are nothing shit. Bollocks to that. Lots of great things about being middle aged as pp have pointed out. Embrace it OP.

When I turned 43 I had a two month old baby. So it didn't feel middle aged to me.
Ten years later I am definitely middle aged. I'm wearing my mother-in-law's cast off clothes and I don't care

I'm 50. I'm in my middle years undoubtedly. However I think your worry is about the connotations of the term 'middle aged'. It has a certain negativity associated with it - I reject that.

I'm fitter and healthier than many people I know who are a lot younger than me

^ This, it's kind of scary, to be honest. What are the young+unfit going to be like in 30 yrs?

Middle aged is when you often have the most stamina and skill.

MrsFuzzy you go too girl

As I get older I am more comfortable with me. As a woman and as a mother/daughter/sister etc.

I know who I am and I think I am ok.

A few years ago we thought we had lost dd in an accident. We knew there were deaths/serious injuries but we couldn't get any information for a few hours.

In those hours both me and dh would have gladly given our lives for dd. I remember negotiating with god.

Dd survived.

I now sit with my dm who is living with dementure and my dad who has lost his soul mate to confusion and muddle.

I have never felt so alive and so needed and so grown up.

My dd tells me her sociology teacher calls us the sandwich generation

That's how 50 feels to me.