Those who have turned 30 (could be any birthday i suppose)

It came and went just like any other. BBQ with the family, dinner out with G&T, pleasing absence of "special" presents.

It's only as big a deal as you want to make it.

I turn 30 in a couple of weeks and to be honest, not really bothered about it. I am having a party, as it seems to be expected! I don't real feel a big deal in turning 30, although maybe I might if I felt unhappy with my life - I know a single friend who had a bit of a melt-down turning 30 as she had always expected to be married with kids by then.

To be honest, I think people just like excuses to celebrate, so now 16,18, 21, 30, 40, 50, 60...they are all 'big' birthdays!

At my party I have hired a bouncy castle and some sumo suits, giant jenga and space hoppers and am having a bbq - it's exactly what my sis organised for me on my hen party and I loved it so am recreating the occasion but with boys allowed this time.

One of my best friends turns 30 next year and she isn't too bothered by it at all, just says it's another birthday, so we'll probably go for drinks and a meal as per every other year.

As for me, I'm a few years off 30 and I do have goals that I hope I've achieved by then but if not, hey ho. I won't celebrate it any differently than I do my other birthdays.

I guess there are some people who do see turning 30 as a huge deal and may have a hard time dealing with it, maybe they feel they are getting old(silly when 30 isn't old at all), or maybe it's the people who had the life plan and they don't have their life the way they thought it would be.

I'm a little dissapointed that I turned 30 just before it became the new 21. A lot of my friends have had quite big celebrations on their 30th - I guess mainly becuase a lot of people are at uni these days when they are 21 so it's not big like it used to be.

For me, turning 30 wasn't really a big deal. I took the day off work (never usually do for my birthday) and spent a lovely day with my H (we weren't married at the time) and then my family joined us later afternoon to go on the London Eye and then off to the Oxo Tower. It was nice, a bit nicer than other birthdays I've had, but by no means the best birthday I've had

I don't remember any of my friends having raucus birthday celebrations - neither do I remember any of us feeling all doom & gloom at turning 30. We're all now turning 35 and out of 7 of us, only 4 ever got married, two have a child each & I'm pregnant.. Weddings and babies all happened after we turned 30 and none of us felt that we'd failed in life because of this

The way you celebrate your birthday will be different - you have a young son to accomodate as well as your daughter, so I'm sure your priorities are completely different to those of someone who doesn't have a young family

TBH I was a rather freaked out by turning 30, but mainly for reasons already mentioned.

I always expected to be married, with kids, settled in my career and stable and secure in my lifestyle by that point in my life. In reality I had had a pretty rotten run of things - my ex left for me someone else weeks before our wedding, with all the costs and a 1st house/mortgage that we'd only had for about 2months. He then proceeded to hound me for his (non existant) 'share' of the house and to top it all, the 'lovely' guy that I'd started a relationship with after turned out to be a serial womaniser that was married to someone else! Just about the only thing I thought I had sorted was my career which was then turned upside down by a nasty, lying, thieving new boss.

In hindsight I can see that the freaking out (and getting my nose pierced in an act of teenage rebellion!?) was about my expectations and everything that had happened, rather than about getting 'old', but it felt bloody awful at the time. Now, at 33, I feel that everything is back heading in a direction that I'm happy with and so I'm less bothered by my impending 34th - it's just the lines, wrinkles and grey hairs that freak me out now!??

Sah, your party sounds fab, and I wish I'd celebrated my 30th in a similar manner (I'm holding out for my 40th now instead!). I'm sure you'll have an absolute blast and it's the party everyone will be talking about for years to come!

I liked turning 30. I always thought I'd have everything sorted by then (marriage, kids, career, etc), but I sooo didn't - and it didn't matter. I felt more at peace with myself than I had throughout my 20s, and finally stopped giving a hoot what people thought of me.

I celebrated with a walk in the woods, followed by Sunday lunch out with some friends and family, then had people round ours during the afternoon and evening. H and I had a nice meal out on the actual day.

I'm 34 this year, and we are now married, I have finally reached the giddy heights of middle management and I'm expecting our first child, so it has all come together really, just in its own sweet time.

Hello - I am turning 30 in december and am absolutely dreading it TBH.

There doesn't seem to be any real reason why I should be and when I think really hard about why it is bothering me I think it is because I never expected it to actually get here IYSWIM. I think of all the things that I want to do in my Thirties and none of it really exites me whereas my twenties list was awsome and I am so lucky that I have been able to achieve most of it and I do have a wonderful family so I should feel very very lucky and grateful.

When I was at school a group of us decided that we would arrange a date to meet up in the future and that we all had to commit it to memory - that date was 01/05/10 which is next year and when we are all 30 - we used to dream up what we would all be like (have 6 kids, be homeless, v.rich) etc. and everything we came up with was so extravagent in reality I feel no different to how I did back then and that also scares me - what if I am feeling the same posting this about turning 80 in 50 yrs time thinking where the hell did my youth go?!!!

Sorry for such a negative post but that is the truth of it.

We didn't really celebrate the day but we went to Barcelona with all of my family.

H had party at our house that finished at 5m the next morning, I was sat upstaires for most of it either feeding our daughter or trying to get her back to sleep ?

I'm having the big 3-0 in November. I kinda feel confused about it.

I'm not quite where I wanted to be, but I'm happy. Sometimes I feel like the age seems a lot older than I am, and that perhaps it'll mean I should be more serious!

I'm not sure if I'm ready to turn 30 yet, so I may have to do 29 again. But then again what is 30? It's just a number!

I think everyones life goes differently, and 30 is still young, so I don't think there is any need to worry!

I'll be 30 in a few weeks too (Aug 12th, when's yours Sah?) and am feeling a bit ambivalent about it really. I always thought I'd want to celebrate it in a big way but since having J in Jan I've gone off the idea of partying ?

I think we're just having a BBQ for friends and I'm not going to be pressured into having the inlaws over. It's my party and I'll cry if I want to ?

Turning 25 was my wibble, I found my 1st grey hair that morning and noticed wrinkles soon after ?

See grey hair never bothered me - although I was 18 when I found my first grey hair ?.

I'll just go with the flow. I'm going out for a meal with my family on my actual birthday and then having drinks the following Saturday (as it will be my mums birthday then). But nothing OTT.

Went for dinner with H, had lunch with my parents- no big deal. Most of my friends are a couple of years older than me, as is my husband, so it didn't really seem anything to shout or worry about.

It happened, I went out for a meal with Mr WT and friends and that was it really, I didnt want fuss and never had on any birthday (I refused parties for my 18th and 21st) Its only a number, no different to any other. I was more interested in my wedding 7 weeks later!

Im 36 next week, and tbh have nowt planned at all, Im off work all week on a photography course so will probably get home and slouch on the sofa, Birthday celebrations arent my bag. I enjoy cards and pressies but not parties. I quite enjoyed being 30 though, I felt a bit more grown up and less bothered about what people thought about me, and that has continued though my 30s too. Enjoy the day its only another birthday after all, youll have another one next year!

I wasn't bothered in the slightest about turning 30. I quite like being in my 30's actually - I feel more comfortable with myself than I ever have. We went on our postponed honeymoon (long story!) to Las Vegas and I spent my actual birthday drinking champers in the Grand Canyon with my H & our then 4 month old baby (now age 3).

My H turns 30 in a few weeks and is completely traumatised at the prospect. He doesn't want to celebrate, has told me if I organise a surprise party he'll leave me ? and doesn't want to mark the occasion particularly.

This is prob the point. Many people have aims for 30 such as career, settling down, children etc So maybe they are asking if you have fullfilled yours and therefore happy at turning 30 with your life at this stage. Others may not have been when they reached 30 so may prompt them asking. Its def an age that prompts the children question.

I turned 30 last year and had a bbq at home with all my family and friends (40ish) I loved it but I guess it did make me think about where I am in my life......

I was quite excited about turning 30 - saw it as some sort of 'graduation' from my 20s & I'd certainly been heading towards a place where I felt more comfortable with who I am. Had just bought my first flat (though in hindsight not great timing market wise!) and met my H2B a month after I turned 30.

I spent my actual birthday with my sister in Jersey then had a big party back in London. I do look back & think the party was too big - lots of acquaintances, work mates as well as real friends & - I think I was trying to hard to have a 'statement party'. Certainly made me very ruthless with my wedding guest list!

I loved turning 30. We had a brilliant time and i was spoilt! Went to see Dirty Dancing, had my hair done, had a new camera and went for a lovely meal.

Hope you have a great day

I don't remember turning 30 at all. I'd just met my now H but it was very much early days. I don't think it bothered me at all. I can't remember

As I typed this I realised that my 30th must have been when I realised my now H actually quite liked me!! He'd travelled 40+miles to deliver my present. He'd been on manoeuvres all day and was still in his fatigues and covered in mud. We weren't quite having a relationship at that point though we'd been out a few times. I realised that to drive all that way in those circs, knowing he'd have to drive back again- he must have been pretty interested in me! So I suppose I knew from there that it would go further, the start of a beautiful relationship!

Though other than that I don't remember anything else about my 30th birthday.

I'm turning 40 this year and although I'm not dreading it, it does feel like a biggie. I think because post-baby I realise that I'm probably not going to have the body I had in my 20s and 30s (and I'm glad that I'm one of the few women that did realise I had an OK body at the time). Having a baby later in life I do feel knackered a lot and my health isn't that great and I do see things not getting any better post 40! I think I am also facing the mortality of my parents. However I also realise that I am very happy, we're settled and I have a great husband and daughter and a great relationship with my parents. My health is not soo bad- I think I've got a good few years left yet!!

My 30th was the best birthday I've had! A big bunch of real friends hired a cottage (turned out to be a massive country house) for a joint weekend celebration (another pal's 30th was two days after mine).

We had a huge vat of chilli, and lasagne the next night. Went for a night time walk in a local forest that was exhibiting a light show (also happened to be where my Dad's ashes are scattered). Stayed up late drinking and playing poker and balloon wars. Had fireworks. Played croquet one day and then drove back to civilisation and went clubbing where a wee charmer at the bar said I didn't look a day over 26 ?

I'm actually just back from a long weekend in Barcelona where the same big bunch plus more were having a birthday bash for three friend's 30ths. We laughed from start to finish and it really made me appreciate my friends.

I'd say 30 is definitely the new 21.

Most of my friends are older than me so I wasn't really phased, I guess if I was the oldest I may have been more bothered.

I turn 30 in January and I'm another who's dreading it. I know it's only a number but I had a lot I wanted to have achieved by the time I reached 30, career goal mostly, I wanted to have a profession and be well on the way to success. As it stands I'm in a dead end job, still haven't got my degree, don't really have any friends to speak of - so no girly weekends away to celebrate. Ho hum!

I didn't really have any relationship goals for myself but that's the only area I'm sorted ?

As someone else said, 30 seems to be some milestone that when we were younger we all decided we'd have achieved everything we ever wanted to by that age ?.

I wanted to be rich and be a lawyer by the time I was 30. I have achieved neither ?. This didn't make me dread being 30 though (am 35 now) and I didn't get upset about what I hadn't achieved. I have done other things (that weren't on my radar at 15) and I have my whole life ahead of me to achieve whatever I want.

As for the day, I had a hawaiian themed party. I'd never had a party so thought 'why not'?

Mine was last tuesday and we had a long weekend in Paris, I strongly object to working on my birthday so decided to take tthe day off and then decided it wasnt worth going in for just the monday so we made a long weekend of it and because it was a sort of milestone we decided to do something special

I dont feel any different and still have to think about how old I am - havent been asked how old I am since (actually tell a lie, I had to tick a box on a questionaire the other day and that was 30-35 which made me panic for a bit) so not really had to think about it much

H is 6 years older than me and cant remember his 30th

Though we have said that our belated proper honeymoon will be a joint one with his 40th and my 35th (well between the two anyway) and we will go to Australia and New Zealand

It's my 30th in September and I'm quite looking forward to it and want to make a bit of a 'do' of it. I was hoping I'd be spending it in Vegas but in the last year my whole life has turned around and that won't be happening so now I'd be quite happy with a good night out with the girls

Well I turn 30 today so had to respond ?. I had a few wibbles about it earlier in the year when I was buying lots of 30th birthday cards for friends but I've come to accept it now it's here. I've had a fun few days with my Mum, sister and the babies (I have an 11 month old, my sister a 13 month old) as our birthdays are all within 2 weeks of each other. H and I will go out for dinner tonight and the baby and I are having a joint first/30th gathering in a couple of weeks. But that's just an excuse to have some people over really.

Kate

I had a massive wibble about turning 30 (2 years ago now) I got hammered, got a tattoo, got meloncholic. You name it,

But to be honest I had other things going on - I had just had my 2nd child and my husband had just walked out so as for acheiving goals - I was way off. No one dreams of being a financially desperate single mum of two at 30!

I had a fab night out - a big bunch of friends drinks and karaoke (acting at least 18!) and put it all down to experience.

TBH I think for me it wad the whole daydreaming kid - by the time i'm 30 I will be/have etc.... And I hade failed on all of that.

But now hey everyone knows 30 is the new 20!

I'm 30 in September and quite looking forward to it

I'm having lunch at my favourite pub with just family then back to our house for a traditional English tea party. I can't wait

Having said that my little girl is 3 four days after my birthday so my celebrations will - quite rightly - be overshadowed by hers