Sister act

Looking young for as long as possible and being regarded as youthful is a big deal nowadays. There's a whole multi million pound industry dedicated to it.

Open any glossy magazine, particularly those aimed at women in their 30s and 40s, and there will be the inevitable articles spouting on about how to look 10 years younger, wipe out the wrinkles, live like you're still 21, roll back the years.....

I've often been told that I sound younger on the phone than I am and, like most women of a certain age, it's definitely ego-boosting to be told I don't look my age. I reckon on a good day and in an extremely flattering light I might, just might, be able to get away with late 30s (ok, maybe I'm kidding myself there) or, more probably, early 40s. Take a look at my blog picture and judge for yourself.

So, I was more than a little taken aback by an encounter while out with the 10-year-old son this week.

We'd headed off to do some early Christmas shopping (yes I know it's only November but I do like to be organised) and were standing at the pay desk in one of the department stores. The sales assistant was a friendly type and got chatting with the little son. They nattered away while I paid the bill and I wasn't paying much attention to their conversation until I heard her refer to me as 'your sister'.

Sister, sister?!  He's 10 and I'm 48. Now I may not be very good at maths, hopeless in fact, but even I can work out that I'd need to knock a good 20 years off my age for there to be any likelihood of being his sister.

Even with the most flattering light possible and even on an absolute humdinger of a good day, there is no way I could ever be taken for being young enough to be the sister of a 10-year-old.

I pointed out that I was, in fact, his mother. I was also rather tempted to add that perhaps it was time she made an appointment at the opticians. What amused me even more was that the sweet (but clearly deluded woman) was genuinely surprised to be told I wasn't his sister but his mother.

So, from now on I'll be ignoring the lines that are beginning to appear on my face, the ever-increasing trips to the hair salon to top up the colour, the invitations to subscribe to Woman and Home rather than Cosmo......after all, apparently I can still pass for 30!