by Whitney Barthel posted in Parenting

I should really be flattered to be the object of a younger man?s desire. I mean, I always wanted to be a MILF once I got to a ?certain age.?  But, for some reason, now I can?t help but feel slightly disturbed by the meaning behind the term. Let me start at the beginning.

My high school sweetheart?s mom was in her early thirties when we dated. She was definitely not like a normal mom. She didn?t have the mom pooch like most moms. She exclusively wore Abercrombie & Fitch. And, all the boys loved her.
Of course, this was exactly the same time as the birth of the legendary movie American Pie and the term MILF. When hanging out with my boyfriend and his friends, the term MILF was thrown around a lot. And, when I wasn?t insanely jealous of Jamie (not her real name), I wanted to be just like her. I thought, ?When I grow up, I am going to be a MILF.? Pretty aspirational, huh" It's embarrassing really.
Fast forward to now and here I am, the same age as Jamie with four boys of my own. I haven't really even thought about the term since having children. And, if I'm being totally honest, I usually look like a total disaster (see: How to spot a mom from 20 feet away). And if I am trying to look nice, I generally aim for classically pretty. My sentiment towards being a MILF couldn?t be more different. I don?t think I realized back then that as I aged high school boys would look more and more like children.

My youngest son, Charlie, and...