When did I stop looking like a kid?

My mom tells a story of one time when she was carded for the purchase of alcohol, sometime after I turned 21. She said "I have a daughter who's old enough to drink." My mom is a mere 18 years older than me, so this occured sometime when she was 39 years of age or older.

I remember going somewhere and getting carded and hubby didn't, even though he is two and a half years younger than me.

The best one ever was shopping at Sam's Club with my ex when I was 21 years old. I stopped at the sample cart to get something and the lady working at the cart stopped me and asked if my parents were there (kids aren't supposed to get samples without a parent present). I, with all the attitude of a 21 year old who was shocked that she didn't look as mature as she fancied herself to be, said "No, my parents aren't here, but my husband is."

When my son was born, I was in recovery after my C-section, drifting in and out of sleep after having been in labor for 22 hours. I heard one of the nurses comment to another "Her file says she's 27. She looks 16!"

Last night I was showing my son a photo album that contained photos of our cat as a kitten. I was 22 years old in those pictures. My son looked at the pictures and asked "Was this when you were a kid?" I told him that no, I was 22. He said "You look like a kid." On second glance, I realized he was right. I looked like a young teenage girl holding a kitten. Smooth face, long straight hair pulled back in a barrette.

I looked in the mirror later and realized I don't look old by any stretch of the imagination...But I'm definitely not a kid anymore. I have the face of a woman, not a girl. At 22? Probably more kid than I cared to admit, in looks and in actions.

I'm not sure when the transformation came, but I've never been someone concerned with my age as the number increases. It's just funny to look back at a time when you felt so grown up, and realize you're looking at a kid.