I turned 30 and no longer give a s***

In late April, I turned 30. I wasn’t really freaked out by the round number heading into my birthday (I’m way more freaked out that my itty bitty baby girl is going to be 1 soon). I just didn’t think much about it.

Something odd has happened though. Starting just a few days after my birthday, I all of a sudden just no longer cared what anybody thinks.

I’m like Nicki MInaj in that weird radio hit I don’t really understand:

Here’s a few things I’ve done since turning 30 that I swear I never would have done at 29…

  • Started my own blog
  • Starting writing for Northeast Ohio Parent Magazine
  • Took up a new athletic hobby (swimming)
  • Wore my glasses in public after contracting pink eye
  • Gone to work with no makeup on after freaking out that I recontracted pink eye and throwing out all my makeup (but I think it was really allergies)

None of these might seem like life-changing actions…but they reflect a new, more confident me that I can only chalk up to escaping my twenties.

I think it’s part of the wisdom that comes with age. It also probably has something to do with becoming more and more settled into my role as a mom every day. Obviously I’ve been a mom for 11 months and counting now, but the more my kid starts to absorb and learn about the world (she’s like a sponge these days), the more I am 100 percent committed to making sure she remains fearless and brave for as long as possible – and the only way I know how to do that is to show her that I am, too.

At 30, a flip switched completely though. What it comes down to is that getting older is far more liberating than I would have expected. On my birthday, I said I’d rather be 30 than 20 again, and that is still sooo true.

And I expect it to keep getting better.

By staying true to myself, going after what I want, and making sure my little family comes first, I plan to be able to say at 40 that I’d rather be 40 than 30 again.

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Stephanie (Harig) Prause

Stephanie Prause is a corporate communications, sustainability communications and investor relations professional, juggling a career she thrives in with being a mom and wife. She is also passionate about staying active (as in, she’ll lose her mind otherwise). Other interests include sampling craft beers, cooking from scratch and reading voraciously (at least for about 20 minutes before she passes out mid-sentence).

1 CommentLeave a comment

  • Welcome to the club! I’ll add a bullet ‘not feeling bad about saying no.’ Sometimes I want to skip an outing or another kid’s Saturday birthday party…just because I don’t want to do it. Period. And that is ok. Maybe not with everyone else, but with me. ?

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