When my daughter turned 18, it reminded me of something simple but easy to forget: big birthdays are automatic milestones. They come with balloons, dinners, photos, and all the “you’re grown now, woohoo” speeches. There are umpteen scripts for turning 13 through 25 — the OG markers of independence, responsibility, and new beginnings. But guess what: milestones don’t just belong to the kiddos. Sure, we still celebrate those over 30 birthdays with or without parties with 40-deep friends, or sheet cakes full of candles; but it’s a combo of ‘yeah, you’ve made it another year and we love you’ — yet, unless we actively choose it, we don’t tie it…
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Why Birthday Milestones Aren’t Ends But New Paths Ahead
Last week, my baby girl turned 18. Like her sister, she’s always been one of the youngest in their friend groups, so her ‘finally turning 18’ was a big deal for her—in more ways than one. And while I was right there with her, mostly, it took a little wind out of my seeing my forever baby girl officially become an adult. Ish. Just thinking about turning eighteen is that moment many of us imagine long before it comes. Imagining what this vision of “adult life” is supposed to look like for us, from the TV shows, movies and books we consumed. Well, that’s how I did it, anyway. Of…
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Are You Aligned With Your “Big Age” Life?
“Big Age” is a funny term I heard from many sources, definitely not one I made up myself, but I’ll definitely keep using. But people throw it around as if it’s a milestone you suddenly wake up to. Like, congratulations, you’ve hit an age—a Big Age—where society expects you to have it all figured out. Career, relationships, money, personal growth—the whole checklist. And yet, here you are, still figuring things out, still wondering if you’re aligned with the life you’re living, especially in this second chapter of ours. Most of us still are, and don’t panic, that’s really not a bad thing. Being in your “Big Age” isn’t about having…
