For another writing gig I do, I’ve been invited to interview an up-and-coming rock band. The band members are all aged 15 and looking at their photos on their MySpace page, I first thought “Aww, how cute they look” (and this is a thrash metal band) and then “I’m old enough to be their mom” and then “I feel so old!” So basically, I’m terrified of doing the interview.

Becoming a mom officially makes you a member of the generation above the one you used to be. We used to be the new generation, and now our kids are.

So I just turned thirty-not-telling-you. My boyfriend’s daughter’s birthday is the same weekend of mine so I wasn’t able to wallow in my extreme old age, instead being swamped in a sea of pink frosting, glitter gift wrap, Hannah Montana dolls and plastic jewelry and being required to help manage a large quantity of other six-year-olds at the party.

Now we are parents, we have responsibilities, we worry about our kids, we have to deal with financial issues, we have to plan instead of being free spirits. We don’t get enough sleep, we are often perpetually tired, and there aren’t enough hours in the day to manage kids and work and housework and anything else we want or need to do. No wonder we feel old.

Then again, having children keeps you young too. Little kids are the best excuse to do fun things and I think that you might be lying if you say that going down slides at the playground isn’t just a tiny bit fun.

And there’s all the giggling over silly things, and sharing their happiness when they learn a new skill, and enjoying their delight over new discoveries. I smile when I think of the amazement on Daycare Baby’s face the first time she saw a zebra at the zoo. Or how happy Toddler was when he figured out how to get his own boots on. Or when they play little toddler-baby games together (Usually along the lines of you poke me, I blow a raspberry at you, you poke me, hee hee hee hee hee!) that make them both laugh with that wonderful baby giggle.

As writer Orison Swett Marden wrote, Joyfulness keeps the heart and face young. Yes, I think it’s true – laughing with my kids is the perfect antidote to feeling old.

So being a mom does make me feel older than I think I should for my age. But it also make me feel younger too. How about you?