At 46, she's just entered middle age by most definitions. US Census considers middle age to be from 45 to 65. Early adulthood is defined as 20-39/40, or in some cases even 44/45.
Eric Erikson's stages of psychosocial development identified eight stages of development.
infancy, 0–2 years
early childhood, 2–4 years
preschool, 4–5 years
school age, 5–12 years
adolescence, 13–19 years
early adulthood, 20-39 years
adulthood, 40–64 years
maturity, 65 – death
I will be 65 this year, and I'm absolutely not fairly old! But, I'm also not sure I like the idea of being categorized as "mature." I seriously can't see how another few months will suddenly turn me into a person who no longer acts immature
When I was 40, I was still being carded. OMG! That's so freaking ridiculous! Honestly, I think the waiter was just being a jerk and carded me because he'd overheard I didn't have my driver's license with me. Come on. I was living on Nantucket Island. I was more upset by his attitude than by not being able to drink. I'm not sure why the summer staff on Nantucket Island tend to have such a condescending attitude. It's not like any of them are wealthy, or they wouldn't be spending their summer working in shops and restaurants.
I am constantly questioned every time I mention my age. When I was 40, people were surprised I had an 18 year old son. I had to show my driver's license several times to prove I really, really was 40. Now I'm in my 60s, you'd think people could tell I am ancient. But no. Most people think I'm somewhere in my 40s. I absolutely have wrinkles, but for some reason, they aren't anywhere near as obvious to others as they are to me. My hair is no longer mousy brown, but greyish. Though, I can only tell that when I look in the mirror in the bathroom at work (fluorescent lights) or when I gather up my hair after I've cut it. The cut off hair seems to be a fairly even mix of grey and mousy brown hair. Mind you, my great grandmother still had dark hair into her 90s. But, she also looked old!
I was raised in a family where most meals involved fried meat, mashed potatoes and gravy, and primarily canned vegetables. I've also been overweight-obese all my life ... as was my father and all but one of his siblings. At least, the one time I remember seeing my dad's youngest sister, she was thin. My mom's family were thin, though that changed once my grandmother, mother, and her sisters went through menopause. It really wasn't very enjoyable to grow up with a tall, skinny mother, as well as three skinny younger brothers.
As an adult, I try to eat healthy, but I haven't consistently achieved that yet. Over the years, meat has become rarer in my meals. Every few months, I buy a package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs for a slow cooker stew, but that's about it. I'm not vegan or vegetarian, I just rarely eat meat. I also try to eat fresh vegetables ... primarily broccoli and brussels sprouts because I love them, but I fail on that far too often. I'm not much on spending time in the kitchen preparing a meal, so I'm quickly frustrated at having to spend even five minutes trimming the ends and outer leaves off brussels sprouts or cutting broccoli florets off the stalk. Sometimes, I'll toss a bag of steamable frozen corn or peas in the microwave, but it's not a very powerful microwave, so it takes sooo long to steam them. (Long being 5-8 minutes).
I rarely eat out, and almost never get fast food. I started making an exception a few years ago after periodontist and vet visits. To get to both takes me right past a McDonalds ... I really, really like McDonald's chicken mcnuggets and fries. So after a visit to either, I often stop at the McDonalds for lunch. I also rarely dr ink pop/soft drinks. Mostly it's water, chai, or milk. Snacks are reserved for the weekend. After a couple years of avoiding any snacks, I rebelled and started buying a bag of chips for the weekend.
