is it ok to pretend i’m the same age as my children?

Q – Is it ok to sometimes pretend you’re the same age as your children or is there a fine line to having too much fun? What would Suzie Do? – from @thevanillabean (via/ Twitter)

A – Hi Vanilla Bean,

What exactly do you mean by pretending to be the same age? Are you walking around the house in diapers and sucking on a bottle?  Throwing a tantrum in a store because you can’t buy what you want? Are you daydreaming about Jacob and/or Edward? Are you trying to show up your teenagers by being cooler than them? I think being young at heart is great. I love going to Disneyland as I feel giddy with excitement like my kids but I also have to be the responsible one and take care of them.Playing on skateboards and in the sandpit with your kids is great too.  Being enthusiastic and having fun is one thing but I think  there are limits to this.

I suppose pretending to be a kid is fun – you can imagine for a moment that you don’t have to worry about bills, adult relationships, work -  however there is no way I would want to re-live being in high school again. I like being over 30. I am old enough to know what I want and have enough money to do what I want. I’ve made my mistakes and moved on. Is this why you want to act like a kid – you want to make up for mistakes you made in the past or avoid present responsibilities?

Like I said I think its OK to feel young at heart and have fun as long as you understand there are limits to this. Why do I think this ?  There is a reason why because I have seen it when bad things have happened.

I know someone who is stunning, absolutely gorgeous. Let’s call her Ms. X. She had kids at a very young age and now she’s in her mid 30′s. She seems to feel now like she can act like the age she missed out on – her teenage years. She dresses like her teenage daughters and acts like her teenage daughters. Men of all ages think she’s a goddess which is great for her – but NOT for her daughters. Her daughters feel like they are competing with her all the time and it is causing real problems for their self-esteem and more problems for their relationship. Ms X loves the attention she’s getting and even dates extremely young men now that she’s divorced – not too much older than her daughters. The reason why I mention Ms. X  is that you just have to be careful, find the line and don’t cross it.

This is what Suzie would do – I would have fun with my children when appropriate but always remember to act as the parent. Don’t be selfish, it’s their childhood and not yours.