What is middle age?

When does middle age start, and when does it end?

When is it at its peak?

I struggle to put words in this blog as my son keeps asking me questions from his book. Yet! Let me write this blog as I promised myself.

My son has decided to change his target as he now tries to trouble my wife, who is trying to complete some chores. I have some time before she directs him back to me.

I guess midlife starts when promises you make to yourself take a back seat. Decisions have to be thought through a lot more as it affects the lives of many more, and not just yourself. Middle life is a long string of interruptions by many, not just your child but also your parents, the ones you always depend on, but now they depend on you more. But honestly, midlife starts peaking when you start losing elders whose shadow you grew up with. Every other month you hear about that elderly figure who had played with you when you were a child or guided you through tough times.

What is left are memories, and as much as you love the people, memories do become blur with time. Then one day, something reminds you of them. It is an old photo or a reference by someone.  

This post comes from a place of acceptance that many would jump off this journey and never meet again. Some will drop hints others would just go without a word. The end of your journey is no different. Maybe midlife is when you come to a point where you realise there is nothing you can do about it.

Spend time with these fellow travellers. It will not always be how you like, yet later, you will have nothing but memories to remember. These moments of disagreement will also be missed.

My son is back and has played a ridiculous song (Kacha Badam) on Alexa. Let me indulge with him and create another memory to laugh out later.

Middle Class - Sharing A Room, Sharing Time And Sharing Life

Middle-class families, we all have heard this term. Mostly concerning economics. Based on the country's purchasing power, the middle-class changes. In a developing country, the middle class is perhaps not as wealthy as the middle class in a superpower country. This blog is not about economics but more about family. Also, my knowledge is limited to the country I was born in. In India, the middle class has grown to now influence most of the institutions of this country.

Again, this blog is not about the influence of the middle class on India's socio-economy.

Then what is this blog about? Coming to the point...

About 100 years back, the middle class was a family of many brothers living with their children. The house comprised 10 rooms but then divided by the number of people meant every room had 3 or more people sharing the room. 

The middle-class family had individuals who shared rooms; when you shared a room, you shared life.

The generation that grew up in such a house with cousins and uncles, aunts, and grandparents always felt they had no privacy. This generation grew out of the house and came to little cities.

In these cities, they found much smaller houses. These were the parents who had 2 or maybe 3 children. They lived in a tiny house with two bedrooms. The children ended up sharing the room with their siblings. 

Life was earlier shared with cousins; now, it is shared with siblings. The room had walls that were owned by different children. 

There was fun but yet no privacy.

Then, when these children grew out of their homes and travelled to different cities or houses in the same city, they limited themselves to one child. But separating from their parents with a part of the inheritance meant they had lesser purchasing power limiting the space they could buy. 

They were now living in a one-bedroom hall home. The bedroom was shared by the mother, father and child.

The child had to now share the room with her parents. The parents were working, and the child was sharing the room, sharing her life but primarily alone. They had limited time to share. 

And then came a generation that would limit their family based on the rooms. We have a room for parents, one room for the lone child and another spare one used for studying, gaming or, at times working from home.

Rooms are not shared anymore, time is not shared anymore, and with that, life is not shared anymore. 

In conclusion, there is no conclusion. If anything, this is just an observation. Perhaps an observation that everyone might not agree with, but that is fine. There are some problems when you share your room with others, and there are other problems when you have a room but no one else to share it with.