Why I Stopped Lying About My Age

I don't lie about my age...anymore. And for the record, I never shaved off more than a few years. (When I was 48, saying "44" somehow sounded better.) But that all changed when I overheard my daughter Tess say, "I'm only seven!" to another little girl at a playground. Tess was eight at the time. Of course, I corrected her because liars like to call out other liars. "You're eight, honey," I said with a smile. Her response? "But you always say you're younger."

Bam! It felt like a sucker punch to my throat. The other little girl's mom laughed out loud and tried to pretend it was a cough. Then, I laughed out loud. I also realized that my daughter shouldn't feel compelled to lie about her age when she turns 30 or 40 or 53, which is my age. Yes, age discrimination is a real concern. But ageism exists, in part, because we as a society shame women for getting older. Screw that! I love that both Jennifer Aniston and Jennifer Lopez celebrated their 50th birthdays with huge in-your-face parties. Clearly, they're not ashamed of living five decades--me neither.
The age positive movement starts here.

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