Ying Ying is the panda in Hong Kong who just gave birth to twins one day before her 19th birthday. In panda years, that’s old. She’s the oldest first-time panda mom ever, because they keep track of that kind of stuff, you know.
I was an old mom, too, having my first at 31 and my last just six weeks before my 39th birthday. It seemed like a good idea (it still is a good idea, my youngest is awesome), but I didn’t realize how tired I was gong to be, chasing two older kids and taking care of a baby.
If that wasn’t bad enough, all my friends with just two kids were finally getting some freedom to go out to lunch and go shopping. I still had a toddler to take care of. I remember one carpool meeting at a bakery with two other moms. I had to bring the youngest and she drew on the walls with crayons while I argued with the moms as to why I didn’t want to drive their kids seven times a week. That carpool was doomed. I ended up driving my own two kids ten times a week with the oldest catching a morning ride five times a week with a sympathetic neighbor.
Then the moment of truth, when I realized just how old I was, was when I turned 50 while being a Girl Scout leader for my youngest. The other moms were way younger than me, one twenty years younger! They gave me Red Hat Society things and 100 Places to See Before You Die.
Seriously? My youngest is now 30, And I am 69. She has kept me younger than I would have been otherwise. So take heed, Ying Ying. You will still be a perky lady when your twins are teens.
I had to wait until almost 67 to become a grandma. I might not make it to great grandma. That’s the downside of being an old mom. Plus, I can’t lift my grandson because I already have osteoporosis, which is holes in my bones (only my spine, not my hips). But still.
I can still get down on the floor, get back up, sit cross legged, dance for two hours nonstop, garden, and walk my dog. Some things do bother me like lifting heavy things, getting things down from over my head, or stooping down for any reason. I have little chairs and stools everywhere, by each outside door and the fridge so that I don’t have to pick things up off the ground, like groceries.
Ying Ying, enjoy your babies and you, too, Le Le, although the article never said how old you are. Isn’t that just the way? Pandas can probably be dads at any age like men. We women have an expiration date. If you don’t believe, just ask J.D. Vance, Trump’s V.P. nominee. I hate to agree with him, but I read an article that said anthropologists think post menopausal women are good support for their grandchildren and that is why women have evolved to stop bearing children at a certain age so they can strengthen the family unit and keep young ones alive.
I hope you are a grandma someday, Ying Ying. It’s really fun.
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 