I hope I always remember

It seems like recently I have been confronted with exceptionally grumpy women in their sixties. It's weird, because, I normally don't run into this...in fact, most often, women I meet of all ages are pleasant, for the most part. But lately, I have met some really judgmental and bitter people, and for whatever reason, they happen to be women in her sixties. I realize that I have no way of understanding their perspective and what has lead them to this point in their lives. And, I can certainly attest to the fact that we are all different people with different experiences and perspectives, and sometimes, we're just not in a good place. Perhaps that's what I am running into right now...whatever it is, it's caused me to take pause and think about my own life.

It seems as if these women I have run into have either forgotten or chosen to ignore the needs and priorities of the people around them who are at different stages in their lives. Perhaps they look around and think that they did it better when they had kids that age. Perhaps they never had kids and can't understand parents today. Maybe it's a combination of all of these or some other reason entirely that I can't understand because I'm not in their position. Whatever it is, it's disturbing to see women of one age judging and, in many cases, mistreating women in a different stage of life. This is just one example of the ways in which women seem to have trouble offering true support to one another in our social structure. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've got great friends and feel very fortunate to have them. I get a source of comfort and understanding from my female friends that I need. And, quite honestly, they all rock. But somewhere beyond friendship, I don't see a real strong social support system for women of one another. And it appears to be playing out across generations even...we seem to compare ourselves to others and wonder what we do better or what we don't do well enough rather than simply acknowledging different talents and gifts, and celebrating those. I realize much of this has to do with our social positioning...it's pretty difficult to support one another outside of personal friendships in a social system that discourages women from organizing together in meaningful and powerful ways.

Anyway, I'm now rambling off a bit and I really just want to say that I truly hope I never forget what it's like to be a young mom raising her kids in a society that seems to be working against my values and beliefs. I hope when I'm that woman in her sixties, I can smile a knowing smile and offer support and understanding to that young mom, secure in the knowledge that I did the best I could with what I had and what I knew, and trust that the same is true of the young mom I am encountering.