The Parenting Side of “How Old Do I Look?”
When I became a parent, I expected sleepless nights, toddler tantrums, and endless snack negotiations. What I didn’t expect was strangers and sometimes the internet trying to guess my age.
Before kids, I didn’t think much about it. But now? The game is different. Between the dark circles from 2 a.m. feedings, the fine lines that come from laughing (and sometimes crying) through preschool meltdowns, and the messy bun I’ve been rocking since 2018, people’s guesses can be… interesting.
It’s not just in person anymore, either. Scroll through TikTok or Instagram and you’ll find filters
that “guess” your age. One minute, it tells you you’re 23, the next it swears you’re 45. And while part of me laughs, another part wonders: why do we even care?
Maybe it’s because parenting changes you inside and out. You grow wiser, tougher, more patient, but also more tired. The years show, but so do the stories. Every wrinkle has a reason, every under-eye shadow has a chapter.
So the next time someone asks “How old are you?” or “How old do you look?” I might just say:
Old enough to have lived, loved, and survived a toddler’s “threenager” phase.
And that’s all anyone needs to know.
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