How can my kid be this old? I'm only 29 - okay 39 - okay older

How can our kid be this old? I mean it was only yesterday that she was her baby's age! After all, I'm only 29 - 39 - 49 - okay, I'm older than that; in fact, I'm older than dirt almost, but that doesn't make it fair that my kid is 37. She'll be getting grey hair soon, and that'll make me (look) older still, won't it? I mean I know it's too late for me. My hair took after my great grandmother on my mother's side and turned grey when I was 40. I like to say it was working for newspapers that turned my hair grey, and I am sure that it was certainly a contributing factor, but - - - .

I don't think it's fair that I've been coloring my hair for more years than my daughter has been alive. After all, my mother hardly had grey hair when she died at 80. I know I put of few of those hairs on her head, and my sister put way more up there than I did. After all, she was a hippie back in the days when that wasn't nostalgic! Come to think of it, she put several grey hairs on my head too. Every time she got herself in trouble out protesting heaven-knows-what she would call me to come bail her out. I do mean Bail, as in pay money to guarantee she'd show up with all the other San Francisco flower children on her court date. These days being a hippie is considered quaint. It wasn't quaint when I was driving from Fresno to S.F. in the fog at 3 a.m.

I'll admit that my kid put a few grey hairs on my head too, especially in her teen age years, and oh, those college years . . . But, she turned out to be one special person. I hope everyone can have at least one kid like she has been. She was a joy as a baby, as a kid, mostly-a-joy as a teen, certainly a joy again as a young adult, and now, as a mother, she tops everything else. I'm so proud of her. She's working, keeping a house up with a nice husband, and raising a beautiful little girl that will give her some grey hair too, no doubt.

You know what? I think I've earned the grey hairs I have. So, I think I may just let the ole hair do its thing. Oh, I'll still color some of it, so I don't look too bad, maybe I'll weave in a bit of light blonde as it changes to full on grey. Anyway, I think I'll make it a New Year resolution to let it go natural. Maybe I'll like it. Maybe not - but until I try, I'll never know. So, here's to a great 08 - and grey hair.