reinventing at midlife Archives - Mothering in the Middle

Cyma Shapiro Interviews Suzanne Braun Levine, Author of You Gotta Have Girlfriends

Q: On the heels of your last book How We Love Now: Women Talk About Intimacy After Fifty, what compelled you to write this new book?

With each book about women of my generation – Inventing the Rest of Our Lives, Fifty Is the New Fifty, How We Love Now – I talked to more women, did more research, and learned more about the exciting new stage of life we are exploring. Every interview, no matter how wide-ranging, eventually got to the subject of girlfriends. “I couldn’t have done it without my girlfriends!” was the phrase I heard over and over again. I realized that I needed to write a book that focused on that life-enhancing subject. Hence, my just-out e-book You Gotta Have Girlfriends: A Post-Fifty Posse is Good for Your Health. […]

Cyma Shapiro Interviews Erika Athanas, Co-Founder of 4GOOD

Dear Reader: I was SO impressed by this group and its founder that I requested an interview. Please read more about their 4/7/13 Los Angeles-area event.

In 2009, having organized the purchase of school supplies for her then 4 and 10-year-old children and posting the event on facebook, Erika, then 39 years old, immediately recognized the innate power of combining cooperation, community and social media. Together with friend Katie Goldman, she decided to put that philosophy to work. Within a few short months, Erika and Katie co-founded 4Good, now a nonprofit designed to match families with organizations in need.

Mindful of creating the right message, Erika sought causes and venues which would be appropriate for both children and their parents. Today, 4Good helps nearly 30 organizations in and around Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley; and can boast a following of nearly 3000 people encompassing nearly 250 individuals who regularly work with them. In 2011, the Athanas Family won the Scholastic Parent & Child Family of the Year Contest. Their celebrity ambassadors are William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman.

Q: Good Day, Erika! I’m so pleased to interview you – I was most impressed with the work you’ve done in just three very short years. Please tell me a little more about what you originally set out to accomplish. What personal experience did you bring to the table to foster this organization?

A: Honestly, I had no experience. I was just a mom who wanted to expose her kids to giving back. I wanted to make sure I was actively showing my children that one’s […]

Being Ageless – Resilience!

by Aleta St. James

Recently, I’ve been focusing on inspiring people to Be Ageless. Many of you may imagine that’s about exercise, vitamins, and green-tinted healthy shakes — and it partially is — but one of the greatest keys to agelessness might surprise you: resilience. […]

Older Mom, Growing Older

by Barbara Herel

The average life expectancy for women in the U.S. is anywhere from 73.5 to 86 years of age. As the 48-year-old mother of a three-year-old, if I kick when I am 73.5, I’m going to be pissed.

That said, I always knew I’d be an older mom. When my college friends were getting pregnant, in their twenties and thirties, I never felt I was missing out. It was only after marrying Tony that I caught “baby fever,” and by then I was 40. […]

Mr Mom: A Mid-Life Career Change

by Douglas C.

You might think it unusual that I read parenting magazines; that I know women by their children’s names; and that most women who speak with me are grandmothers – around my own age! However, what you don’t know is that at age 52, I’m actually the mom (The Baby-Daddy) of the household – not what I expected to be at my age, but one that clearly enhances and supports my family unit. […]

Learn to Ride the Waves

by Valerie Gillies

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf” – Jon Kabat-Zin

In the last few weeks, the why question has come up every day. It really is a foolish question. Honestly, outside of a scientific topic there is rarely a good answer for “Why?” If I could say why a vibrant, kind, friend succumbed to multiple myeloma last week, don’t I also need to know why the shell of a nasty ancient relative remains alive in a nursing home? This is complicated, and our hearts yearn for simple answers that we can wrap in tidy packages, secure with twine, and pack away, so that we can go on with our daily tasks without interruption. […]

Chicken Backs

by Ann Sheybani

When did we women decide that everyone else should come first? Who proclaimed it our job to guarantee the pleasure of others and settle for whatever crumbs fell off their plates?

I like to call this the Chicken Back Syndrome. Preparing a chicken dinner, encouraging our husbands and children to take the best pieces—the breast, thighs and legs—and insisting that we actually like the chicken back best. And somehow, without question, everyone believes we’re just loopy enough to crave bone and gristle. After awhile, we even convince ourselves that those tiny scraps of meat buried between the ribs are worth the effort. […]

Why Midlife Rocks Your World

by Kathy Caprino

In my career and executive coaching, I work with hundreds of women each year going through major transitions. Recently, I was speaking with a fascinating client of mine — let’s call her “Carol” — who shared with me her views about midlife BEFORE she had arrived there, and then what happened when her 40s came. […]