Teen Mom

Something huge happened this weekend, and I mean big, really big- try not to be jealous....I got carded at the Trader Joe's on Sunday while buying our weekly groceries with Baby and Husband.

It wasn't one of those 'we card everyone, so show us your ID even if your ninety' kind of cardings. This was "I'm sorry mam, but I really have to card you, you look young" kind of cardings. I of course levitated about two feet off the floor, got a huge grin on my face and sweetly said "of course you can!!! I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND!!!" a little too enthusiastically. Completely uncaring about the fact that I didn't actually have ID on me, and was using Husbands bank card to pay since my purse was in the car. Or how it kind of turned into a little bit of a hassle, since Baby was bored in line and Husband had been just about to step out to try and entertain baby with the fountain in the flower section when this all went down. Husband had to step in hand Baby over to me and pay for our groceries (and two bottles of wine). I was suddenly transported back to another time. I'm 35, I've been able to buy alcohol for many many years now, so it felt so strange to be in this place again. I flashed on my older boyfriend when I was in my early 20s and how I couldn't even go to his rock bands shows at bars cause I was too young to get in.

I also wondered what this alternate 20 year old (me) life looked like from the outside. There I was holding Baby and buying groceries with Husband. I knew why I got carded. To be honest I was wearing jeans, a T shirt and a hooded sweatshirt that a teenager would wear. I recently had my roots done, so my hair is platinum, my bangs are very short and I was wearing no make up at all. In all aspects I wasn't dressed much differently then when I actually used to be 20, which is not necessarily appropriate at age 35. I also tend to look younger on the weekends when I'm being a Mom because I spend the entire time rolling around the floor with Husband and Baby and can't wear anything that won't withstand food, snot, hairballs or a good wrestling match. I wondered about this alternate Me's life and what this Checker saw: there I was age 20 with a 16 month old Baby and a Husband buying me wine-would I still be in college? Or would having Baby have stopped all that? Would I be working at some dead end job at the mall now part time? This alternate me was really fascinating. I spent the entire car ride home pondering this other universe.

Of course when we entered the car I quickly exclaimed to Husband:

"Hello not quite 21 yet!! Did you hear that!!!! " To which he replied

"uh yeah I was the one who had to pay- how irritating was that? That Checker is so annoying, does she not see us in there every week?..."

"No no no, not important, focus! She thought I was 20!!!!!!"

"oh yea, and then that women ahead of us in line could you believe her? what was she thinking? I couldn't believe how long it took her to pay, it was taking forever..."

Clearly Husband was not understanding the gravity of this moment. I spent the rest of our afternoon wondering about alternate 20 year old me, what my life was like, who I would hang with out, what we did for fun.... and then suddenly I realized: Yuck, I don't want to be 20. It sounded awful.

By the time we got home I was really happy to be 35... but what I was really happy about was being 35 and looking like I was 20.