Mothers joke that they owe their gray hair and wrinkles to their offspring. Whether the topic is postpartum bodies, sheer exhaustion or limited amounts of me time, many moms attribute the decline of their looks to putting their children first. Who hasn't overheard or been involved in a conversation where someone commented that a woman looked amazing or was aging well and another chimed in with, "Well, she doesn't have kids!" Do you find truth in that statement?
Source: Getty
Sergio Rossi
Boots
Somewhere
yes! and a bikini after a few kids; forget about it
1I would guess that moms and women with no kids have different stresses, but could age the same way. It's probably hard being a stay at home mom (because sometimes kids make you want to pull your hair out), but it can be stressful being a teacher, too. I would know. But I think if you're a mom and you have a job, then the stress would probably increase exponentially -- granted you are not the kind of mom that drops their kids off at daycare at 6 am, you pick them up at 7 pm, give them a bottle and have them asleep by 9.
2Maybe a mother's body is different if she is still carrying baby weight or the dreaded stretch marks, but I don't think it makes a mother look older. I think there are so many other stresses out there besides children that everyone ages in different ways.
3I think it depends on the person but overall I'd say yes.
4Yes, a 20 year old woman without kids is going to look much better than the same aged woman who has gone through pregnancy and breastfeeding. However, menopause seems to be the great leveller-my mom's best friend does not have kids, and while she did look better at 30, she looks the same as my mom now. And on top of that, she regrets not having kids. So it is worth having kids if you want them...while your body may look worse compared to your childless peers, 90% of your peers will have kids soon anyway, and the remainder will eventually look the same as you in a few decades.
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