To get seriously wound up when women of a "certain age" use the expression "This is MY time now"!

[UniversallyChallenged]

as though they have been forced to be wives and mothers for years. It's always accompanied by some totally selfish thing they want to do and a "Woah - get ME!" look

Totally understand people wanting a bit of "me" time now and again - but this expression is getting so common it's driving me MAD!

As you may be able to tell

lol i see a double standard her eg "want me time" and grandparents give their time to babysit

well on the choice thing then gps may have chosen to be parents

they dodnt have much control over being grandparents

not sure why they should be expectred to have any duties in that department unless they feel like it

Hang on, why shouldn't these 'women of a certain age' (whatever that age might be, no idea since the OP say) be selfish and do what they want? What's wrong with that?

Women DIDN'T have a choice for a long time, and not so long ago.

My paternal grandmother was forced to give up work when she got married in 1937 because it wasn't legal for married women to work.

She started working again during WWII, full time, had 2 children, and came home every day at lunchtime to make a home cooked meal for my grandpa.

Now there is someone who bloody well deserved a lot more me-time than she ever got!!

Sorry...since the OP DOESN'T say..

Errr...I can't help noticing that a sizeable proportion of the posts on Mumsnets are actively encouraging women to take time off from their children, to have a glass of wine, to get out, to relax... sounds suspiciously like 'Me time' to me. And something that we seem to talk about pretty openly on this forum.

So why aren't we comfortable with the idea of our own Mums needing "Me time", having spent decades looking after us? And probably with far fewer breaks. Do we still need to believe that we were never a chore to them?

Only grandparents who have actively cajoled their children into having babies can be EXPECTED to want to babysit i.m.o.

I do not expect to be one of those mothers who is forever asking her children when they're going to make her a grandmother.

I have been a devoted mother and when they're grown up, they will not see me for dust

My mum is now semi retired and having a fantastic time doing all the stuff she never had time for when she was working.

She bought me and my sister up pretty much single handed and I reckon she deserves every minute of it .

BTW she is also a very loving Granny to DS!

I take it that you are younger mrsruffallo and want your mother around to babysit so that you can have 'me' time!
I wasn't forced to have children-I actively chose it. Having grandchildren is nothing to do with me, I would like them eventually but I intend it to be a different relationship than with my children. I will leave their upbringing to their parents who will have their own ideas, I wouldn't wish to interfere. I will be splashing through puddles, reading stories, flying kites etc with them-when I am not doing things of my own. I am not going to live my life around being needed to babysit or do daily care, so that I am the one that has to get them to eat greens, do their homework etc, I have done all that.
My father died when he was only 56, having worked hard all his life and he never got to do all the things that he wanted to have time for like sailing. I wish that he had and I would much rather,had he lived, that he was out sailing his boat than being at my beck and call. It would also have made him a much more interesting grandfather. My mother has been very good with helping and loves her grandson's to bits but she does have a life outside us!

When and if DD has kids then she'll know, in fact she'll know beforehand that I'm not a babysitter.
I'll help her, of course I will but relying on me is a no go.
I've done my raising kids, It's my time and I'll bloody well say it.
I had to do it on my own and she'll do it with me but I'm for when I choose and emergencies!
I didn't have a child to have Grandchildren to look after.
It's bloody tough if she wants a night out when I don't want to look after them.

Perhaps I'm a cow, perhaps I'm just real about my life and what I want

anyone who has a relative who is willing to babysit is very lucky in my opinion

i dont have any

i still manage to get out tho

whats a babysitter?

Love your name Jlo!
(Think you'd prefer that abbreviation of it to the alternative)

i can't wait for 'me' time.

Loads of single parents and widows have to take jobs that fit in with their children. They may also struggle with babysitters, making it really difficult to go out and take up a hobby on a regular basis.