Being over 50 can be one of the most fulfilling times of your life. It's often a period of change and new opportunities and perhaps more freedom to do what you want to do after many years of responsibilities.
Relationships are important from the moment we are born and equally so when we are fifty something. How we are treated as children and the experiences we have when growing up can affect how we are as adults and how we relate to people. Whether your relationship is good or bad, understanding why we behave or act in a certain way can give us the insight to make changes and give us more satisfaction and happiness.
If you are married or in a long-term relationship, you may have children who are grown-ups themselves or well on the way to becoming young adults. If you have teenagers they can be quite challenging, but also fascinating and fun to be with. One of the joys of being 50 plus is that it gives you more time to concentrate on yourself and more much freedom to enjoy your relationships with your partner or spouse or those around you. This time in your life can be a very good opportunity to become closer, even to return to the romance of the early days of your relationship.
You might want to experience lots of different relationships or want to meet someone new and fall deeply in love all over again. It can take courage, but for some women, when the children leave home it may enable them to end a relationship that has become stifling or boring or which makes them terribly unhappy. Many people enjoy being single after 20 or more years of being in a relationship and are in no hurry to commit to another one.
If you are entering your fifties with a little financial security behind you, it may give you the confidence to decide on a major life change – a return to studying, a year off to go travelling, or even move abroad. And of course it is never too late to fall in love.
So for Fifty, think fearless, think fun, think flirty, think freedom. Here at Victoria we'll be exploring how, when you're 50-plus, there is more opportunity to do what you want, when you want. The world really can be your oyster.