It's official - I'm really, really old ☹️

Hello ,

At Christmas time I heard the news - my cousin, who is about a year younger than me, would get his first grandchild in the middle of this year. Well, the baby arrived last week. So, now I am definitely in the 'older' generation.  

Going from young person to auntie didn't feel too bad. I was enjoying adulthood. There was the freedom to go and do what I wanted but the need to balance that with the responsibility of a job. Although I didn't go 'wild', I managed to have some amazing (sometimes crazy!) experiences.  

Nevertheless, I took being an auntie seriously. I stepped in and cared for two young nieces when my sister-in-law was in hospital (the last few days of December, 1999 and into the new year).  

About seven years later I supervised six nieces and nephews overnight in my brother's house while he, my sister-in-law, a sister and her husband all went to a work Christmas Party.  

As we lived in the same city, I did some interesting things with my brother's children when their regular babysitter wasn't available, or just when opportunities came along.

When I travelled outside Tasmania, I wrote postcards to each family and I have sent birthday cards to each child, even from Germany.

But time marches on. 

While I still have a group of young nieces and nephews, several who have never met me in person, the other half of them are older. Three are married, others have partners. Some have finished university and most have jobs. I don't know how much they have thought about it, but for my brother and two of my sisters, welcoming grandchildren is probably the next big event in their lives. 

So I am moving from being 'auntie' to 'great auntie'! I shouldn't be so shocked - I'm over 50. Turning 50 was a strange thought, but it hasn't really changed anything in my life. It was only when I heard the news about my cousin, that I realised I can't ignore it - I'm not just 'getting' old, I am old 😥

Feel free to share your thoughts on getting older. Have you had a reminder of how old you are?

Until next time,

Andrea (the 'old girl' 😑)