Welcome to The Midlife Lane

So here we are in The Midlife Lane, coasting along, somewhere between low 40’s and early 60’s, stepping on to the rollercoaster of life stages that this part of adulthood brings.

Parents of Teenagers

You might be parenting teenagers. Good luck with that one, I am sure you are still recovering from home-schooling during covid without even taking in to account the Kevin and Perry attitude they have on a day-to-day basis.

Empty nesters

Beyond the teenage stage, your children could be at University, or have finally found a place of their own, and you are now an empty nester. You are no doubt floating somewhere between really missing the not-so-little darlings and realising your bank balance is a nasty shade of red as you continue to ‘contribute’ to your offspring’s life expenses. You can’t afford to do anything with your spare time because the Bank of Mum and Dad is in the middle of an economic crisis.

The SandWich Generation And Beyond

Many Midlifers fall in The Sandwich Generation category – caring for both children and elderly parents. In amongst all of this they are still trying to hold down a career and retain or rebuild some of their own identity that disappeared when they became ‘so-on-so’s Mum or Dad’. Or, like me, you might care regularly for your Grandchildren because childcare costs are the equivalent of a second mortage, or more, so you find yourself juggling your work and life to help out – don’t get me started on the regularity of school holidays!

a major life change

And in amongst all of the above you realise life is ticking away, you have had loved ones, friends and acquaintances who have not been lucky enough to make it to Midlife, or if they have, not far enough into it to enjoy what they had planned. You find yourself realising life is short and start considering a career change, a life change or any other change that you have been putting on hold until ‘the time is right’. Trust me the time is never right for major life changes – you just need to do it!

The M Word

And I have not even mentioned menopause, often a major bump in The Midlife Lane not just for women but for their partners, kids and colleagues. I am leaving that subject and giving it a Midlife Lane mini series all of its own.