Because it's just a number, yo...

I turned 35 years old in May. I'm still trying to grasp that I'm 35 years old. I'm really not sure how a 35-year-old is supposed to act, or look like, etc.

Some people identify with their age. I've never done that - I still feel like a 17-year-old, though with a husband and 10-year-old son, a house, dog, bills, and more. I guess you'd say "responsibility" but I see it as life.

So what's a mom in her mid-30's supposed to look like? I don't know. Am I supposed to be buying mom jeans from Kmart and rocking an ass in the front and the back? (You know what I mean...when someone's gut is so big it looks like their ass goes all the way around.) I loathe exercise, but I realize the older I get, the more my former fantabulous metabolism is slowing down. Good thing I'm a comfort drinker, not eater.

What kind of music is a mom supposed to listen to? Barry Manilow? Neil Diamond? I'm a Linkin Park kind of girl. I love JT, Rihanna, Disturbed, Jimmy Buffett, and many more. My musical interests are diverse, without a doubt. It usually depends on what sort of mood I'm in. These days I'm loving Adele. It's mellow, but her voice is beautiful. That just sounded so mom.

I go through a lot of identity crises. Some days it's "what's a girl supposed to act like" and others it's "what's a Yankee living in the South supposed to act like." Right now I'm trying to figure out how to act my age. And you know what? There's no rule saying I have to wear mom jeans, or make Addison eat organic food. I'll continue to be me, good and bad, and keep being the Erin that is comfortable in her own skin. The one thing I've learned as I have accumulated the years is that I don't care what people think about me.

That's the most comfort I've felt about myself in years.