Essays & Collections, Parenting Humor, Women's Non-fiction
Date Published: 09-24-2024
Judy Haveson always believed she would one day “have it all.” Then she turned forty and wondered if she had waited too long. After countless failed first dates and fewer second ones, she finally found love, got married, and became a mother at forty-three.
Oldest Mom on the Playground is a collection of relatable, heartwarming, and humorous essays. Written in her signature conversational style and with a touch of sarcasm, Judy takes readers on her journey of getting pregnant after forty (and delivering the baby during a full moon), raising a child in New York City (including the time she lost him in a grocery store and found him standing on Broadway), leaving the career she spent decades building to volunteer as a preschool class rep, to becoming a card-carrying member of the sandwich generation.
Judy offers no parenting advice, only personal reflection. And she takes nothing in her life for granted. Her message to other midlife mamas is this: trust your gut, let your life experience guide you, and pray no one ever mistakes you for the grandmother.
Short Excerpt
Oldest Mom On The Playground
Judy Haveson
As older moms, we’ve lived a lifetime, and our experiences will only help guide us and build a stronger bond with our children. By association, having a child later in life can make you feel younger too. You’ll still feel inadequate, guilty, and every bit of your advanced age daily. But as Erma Bombeck, one of my all-time favorite authors, said, “Children make your life important.” She also said, “Insanity is hereditary. You can catch it from your kids.” There’s definitely a good argument for both thoughts.
The following collection of essays is my take on motherhood after forty. From suffering multiple pregnancy losses, to finally carrying to term, to leaving the career I’d spent years building to stay home and raise a child in New York City, to becoming a card-carrying member of the sandwich generation while navigating the loss of a parent, I chronicle my journey and showcase my realities, sadness, failures, insecurities, and triumphs as an “older” mom. I give no parenting advice, only personal reflection. And I take nothing in my life for granted.
My message to other women like me is to embrace the title of “oldest mom on the playground” and let go of the guilt and insecurities. And don’t worry that your breasts aren’t as perky as they used to be or that you have more wrinkles than the younger moms (that can be fixed). Wear it all like a badge of honor. Just pray that when you’re surrounded by other moms at a class event or an eight-year old’s birthday party, no one mistakes you for the grandmother.
About the Author
Judy Haveson is the award-winning author of Laugh Cry Rewind—A Memoir. She is known for her sarcastic humor and enjoys sharing stories about her life experiences and observations. Her fascination with storytelling comes from her decades-long career in public relations. Judy once had a boss tell her that there are two types of people: those who know and those who want to know. That boss fired her, but his words became a valuable lesson to always aim to be the one who knows. Judy lives in Hampton Bays, NY, with her husband, Adam, son, Jack, and adorable Yorkie, Toby.
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