ma'am

I remember not long ago people addressing me as miss when they met me. Now a days its Ma'am every time, even without the children hanging off of my arms. And i wonder if my age is really showing that much; when looking at me can people tell I'm a mother, a wife, is there some instinctual voice that says hey this is a ma'am not a miss. My age doesn't bother me much I've had a very full 30 years; full of love, heartbreak, drama, and every other thing i could cram into that amount of time. At what age did all that catch up to me, at what age did i become ma'am worthy. I know i know its a respect thing and i should be grateful that people see me as respect worthy, but still every time i hear it it puzzles me. Makes me wonder what these people see when they look at me. Do they see the struggle to get to this point do they see the years of tears and smiles, or is it simpler than that. Looking in the mirror i can see the lines starting and for each line i can see the story behind it, whether its a laugh line or a frown line. But for all those story's i can still see me in there, and i don't think i am a ma'am yet. My children call me ma'am because that's what i taught them and its because i feel every child should learn that respect for their elders. To have someone my own age call me that is a little off putting.