I am closer to 50 than 40.  At age 46 (almost 47) I am firmly established in my adult years, but I have become aware, of late, that I still think of myself as a girl.  I still refer to myself as a girl.  I'll say to my students, "I'm the kind of girl who follows the rules."  If I imagine someone pointing me out across a crowded room, saying, "she's that lady over there," or "she's that woman wearing the scarf," well, it just sounds strange.  I mentioned this to two friends recently (one 39, one 43), and they said they feel the same way.  They don't think of themselves as women; they think of themselves as girls.

So, does this have anything to do with the fact that we are single girls?  Or does the fact that we're childless impact how we feel?  Maybe it's just a futile effort to hold on to our youth.

Over dinner on Saturday I mentioned this to my 26-year-old cousin.  She seemed pretty surprised that I feel this way.  In fact, she knows women who feel that "girl" is a derogatory term--one that should be eschewed by young females as soon as possible.  

I'd be curious to hear what the rest of you girls, women, ladies, think of this issue.  

P.S. I wonder if I'll still feel like a girl at 90?