My Mother's Midlife Crisis

My mother just turned 43, and for the past 6 years, I had always thought that she was going through a midlife crisis. She regularly goes out to the bars, meets new guy friends, and dances the night away. She also seems to be careless about her money. She spends her resources on things she doesn't need, and never saves. Recently, she quit her job because she "didn't like one of the employees there". I had always thought that she was unhappy with where she was, and was trying to rewind life to a time when things were better.
In class this last week, we learned that the midlife crisis is a myth for most people. An example given in class was that some men buy sports cars when they are in mid-life, not because of a midlife crisis, but because their children have moved out of the home and they had the money to do so. After hearing that example, I had a new perspective about my mother's behaviors. Maybe she is acting in this way because she isn't tied down by a serious relationship, and both of her children are grown. Perhaps she has found a new freedom that was missing from her life.
As a professional, it is important not to fall victim to myths about life. If we don't understand or are curious about something, we need to ask the family what is going on and why. It is never a good thing to assume anything about a family. And besides, by asking and not assuming, we may learn a lot more than we expected.