From the day we are born, we are tracked by our age. Throughout childhood, our viability as human beings is measured by what we do and when we do it. This measuring stick follows us through our entire lives, as some sort of ominous dictator that shadows our every move.

At the beginning of my work with Telstar, I was offered this one simple piece of advice: “The best thing you can do for yourself is to forget how old you are.” I immediately saw the wisdom in this simple suggestion, and it worked incredibly well until I had two children. It starts at conception with questions from perfect strangers like, “How far along are you?” and “When is your baby due?”

It’s like we can’t figure out how to place the child without knowing its age, even before it leaves the womb!