Janie at Midlife Slices gives us her view-with-an-bite of midlife AND a new term for the midyears.

When Allison asked if I'd be a guest blogger on WomenBloom, I happily said yes.  Then she said I could blog about something especially for WomenBloom or I could use an older post I particularly liked, and that's when I started chewing my fingernails to the nub and rethinking my decision.  Yikes, what to do?   After reviewing all my older posts, I realized I didn't particularly “like" any of them so I had to write something new, but what?
 
I was throwing different subjects around at with my husband when I asked him this question.  "If mothers of young children are called young mommies and midlifers with all their children grown and gone are empty nesters, what are midlifers who still have young children and grown children called?"    He laughed and said..."tired?"
 
He might have been kidding but it's true.  And I'm still asking, what are we called? Anyone?

There are lots of us, ahem....whatever you'd like to call us, still attending summer league baseball games, junior high football games, basketball, school events and the likes. Some were empty nesters  but were suddenly thrust into the role of raising their grandchildren.  I sit in the stands of a sporting event and look around at how young most of the other parents look and then I remember, oh yes, it's me that's out of place in this scenario.
 
Besides having a 13 year old at home, there's much more to my midlife baggage when you add in 12 grandchildren, 92 and 93 year old in-laws, an 83 year old dad and a 27 year old daughter with a chronic illness.  What's the big deal about midlife?  I'd just like to HAVE a life, period.
 
I know I'm not alone as I juggle midlife demands and I think our numbers are steadily growing, so this got me wondering about actual statistics and here's what I found.
 
<note the sound of crickets>   Did you blink?   You mean you missed the statistics?
 
That's right.  There aren't many statistics out there for what I was looking for.  Sure, I can find how many typical midlifers there are and what our median household income is but nothing I could sink my teeth into and really run with.  But I did find other interesting tidbits that I thought I'd share.
 
It seems midlife is that time of one’s life when we wonder what the first half is or has been about and where we are going during the last half.  Last half?  *blink blink gulp*  Sociologists call this period of disequilibrium "middlescence".  Webster’s defines middlescence this way.

mid•dl•es•cence–noun:  the middle-age period of life, esp. when considered a difficult time of self-doubt and readjustment.[Origin: 1960–65; b. middle and adolescence]

Self doubt and readjustment?  No wonder the word is a combination of adolescence and middle.  Great, now we get to deal with the bad and ugly of both worlds while grasping desperately for the good.
 
The Harvard School of Public Health says boomers, mid 40s to late 50's, fall into five general categories: Strugglers 9%, Anxious 23%, Traditionalist 25%, Self-Reliant 30% and Enthusiasts 13%.  It was disheartening to me to see that over half of us aren't self-sufficient and I'm puzzled as to why that is. We weren't given the world on a silver platter like the Millennial generation so what happened?  Maybe we thought we were bullet proof and invincible?  Maybe we simply weren't paying attention and thought Woodstock would go on forever?  If anyone has the answer to this, please share.