I'm 46 and have children aged between 15 and 20. Only this weekend I got several remarks about how that was possible from people I met at a party. Most people estimates my age to be about 5-10 years younger than I actually am. I think Sveta and others have pinpointed the reason since the majority of people I meet had their children later in life than me. I was barely out of university when I had my first daughter, so I'm a bit different in that respect, I suppose. And I dye my hair! If I didn't I'd look 10 years older for sure. I agree with Una, it's not only a good think to slow down the process. In reality, I'm very happy about my actual age. Life wasn't better when I was younger, not at all.

Traci, I think people mean these comments as compliments, and I definitely choose to look at it that way. The only time it was embarrassing was when someone asked if my daughter and I were sisters. My daughter was 16 at the time and clearly not amused by the remark. I thought it was hilarious because anyone should be able to see that this could not be the case.

My mom looked easily 10-15 years younger than her age, right up to her final days. My sister is 10 years older than I am, and more than once my mom was asked if she was my sister's sister. Tickled mom, to be sure, but not necessarily thrilling for my sister to hear.

I have the same situation Traci.jI am a similar age to you and Just the other day at work my new boss asked me if I was a "new grad"!! Now admittedly it was in the context of my doing something for the first time in this job(because I am new to this position) and I am in a profession with lots of people doing it as a second career. But I still hastened to explain that I had years of experience because I had the same fears as you that I would be seen as much less mature than I am.

It was the same fear that first led me to cut my hair short when I was 25 and people would mix me up with the students who worked there. My hair is now longish again, and I do wonder if I look too young.

I have had a different experience vis-a-vis kids than you, in a way. I had my first when I was 29, which was young for my peers in the city. But when DD#1 was a toddler we moved to a regional town, and there the norm was very much to have children starting in your early 20's or younger. So at playgroup, when I had young children ( I had 2 more) the assumption was that I too was in my 20s.

And yes I also get the "too young to have 3 kids" sometimes. Apart from the concern listed above, I try to take it as a compliment.

I get asked if I am studying (at Uni) all the time. Actually, I get asked what I am studying. Now, I know you can study at any age, but I'm pretty sure they ask me because they assume I am at a student's age. I am 26. I finished my MA two years ago, for God's sake! When I tell my age, they are like 'whoa, really? I thought you were, like, 20 or something'.

That said, I look much older now than I did five months ago. It's not exactly 'older', but experienced. Because I am. I am much less innocent than when I first came to London, on my own. I have learned so much, and the hard way, and it shows in the way I move, talk and relate to others. There's this girl at my workplace, she's 24 and she looks like she is in her thirties. And I don't think it's because of her appearance (although she does look a bit severe with her hair up) but because she has had an admittedly tough life, so she doesn't act like I did when I was 23. She can't afford to do that. I find that happening a lot more in the places I work at now, where people usually haven't been to university, therefore started working full-time earlier, getting married earlier, and having what I basically call an adult life earlier.