I Lied About My Age at the Playground

So here's this thing that happened. I'm one of those stay-at-home parents you see hanging around playgrounds with my kid, trying to make sure they don't get hurt and to look out for all the other kids too. It's a tough job but someone has to do it. Anyway, yesterday afternoon was typical, the sun was shining, there were tons of kids playing on the swings and slides, and I noticed this mom who seemed to be around my age (so probably in her late thirties) watching all the kids with that same kind of protective gaze we parents have. We chatted a bit while our kids played. She mentioned she was turning 40 soon and how excited she was about it, celebrating another year alive and kicking. But you know what? I lied to her right then and there. When she asked my age, something that's come up before with other parents, because we stay-at-home types often get the 'oh are you retired?' questions thrown our way, I said I was 32. Why did I do this? Well, it wasn't really out of any great deceit or anything like that. It’s just... when she talked about being 40 and still feeling so young and excited for life, it kind of made me feel a little old, you know? So I told her an age that felt better to be at right then. But here's the thing: after we parted ways (she was off taking her kid out for ice cream), I got home and just couldn't stop thinking about how dumb this all is. I didn’t need to lie. And yet... even though I know it’s a bit silly, a part of me feels like I made a small but meaningful claim back then: that I’m still young enough to play at the park and enjoy life without feeling like an old fogey. Would I do it again? Probably. But here's my dilemma now, next time she asks my age, how am I going to respond? Do I keep lying or come clean? It’s a silly thing but... it’s one of those small daily decisions that ends up meaning something more than you think.