Woman

For years after turning 20, I didn't know if I should refer to myself as a girl or as a woman. In our youth-oriented society, women are generally referred to -- and refer to themselves -- as girls.

That hadn't felt right for a long time, but I didn't feel consistently comfortable with being called or calling myself a woman. I'd teeter between the two. I'd find myself saying, I'm a gir...woman. Or I'm a wo...girl.

And then yesterday, I found myself confidently referring to myself as a woman. My mind tried saying girl and I couldn't even bring myself to say the word.

Becoming a mother, made me a woman.