• I had my youngest daughter when I was 38, and now, I'm a middle-age mom of teens.
• I love having teens in my 50s. It keeps me young.
• I make an effort to speak their language and learn about their interests.

I may be 57, but I'm still 35 in my mind. I had my first child, a son, at age 18. I was naive, unprepared, and mostly clueless in the midst of my own reverse adolescence.

Two decades later, my youngest daughter was born, joining her 2-year-old sister, when I was 38. It didn't occur to me at the time that I would be 51 when my youngest turned 13 and the effect two teenage girls would have on me as a middle-age mom.

I could be mid-hot-flash, suddenly enraged and/or crying over something like them bickering, only to have them dissolve into laughter, directed at me, saying, "It's not that deep, Mom." I didn't have time to wallow in the perimenopausal symptoms that began around the same time they got their periods because they kept me too busy. I had to, as the kids say, "Clock in."

I speak their language

I speak fluent teenager, and am able to translate their often abbreviated language. Keeping up with their lingo keeps my brain young. If I'm messaging either of my now college-age daughters, I don't use punctuation, or they think I'm mad. My oldest daughter recently texted, "Please tell Dad to stop using periods, it's freaking me out."

This may seem silly to some, but to me, it feels like a privilege to catch BTS (behind-the-scenes) glimpses into their world, and it reminds me of my own angsty youth.

The ability to communicate with young people helps me relate to them and, occasionally, even for a brief moment, feel like one of them. When they recognize you speak their language, they're often more open and trusting. I remember wanting to feel 'heard' as a teenager, and I remember the adults who listened. There's a fine line, however, between a parent inserting themselves into kid-world and being invited in.

I make an effort to learn about their hobbies and interests

As my kids grew, I didn't try to force my 80s music on them but instead tried to lean into theirs. These days, their friends are surprised when I know the words to everything from Sabrina Carpenter and Doja Cat to Fisher, Paramore, or Pop Smoke. Music is ageless.

The sports my kids chose as teenagers forced me out of my middle-age comfort zone. At one point, I alternated between driving 93 miles into the traffic hellscape that is New York City twice weekly for fencing and hooking up and loading a gooseneck horse trailer for equestrian eventing activities around the Tri-State area of New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.

My youngest daughter keeps me in style. It's like having Heidi Klum standing by to assess with swift certainty if my fashion choice is "in" or "out." Her friends have called me a "baddie." The connotation is flattering — and possibly a stretch — but, admittedly, a nice ego boost during a time when many women my age feel invisible.

My kids also keep me laughing — sometimes until we're crying, which, in my opinion, is the greatest fountain of youth.

In July, my last teenager will turn 20. Being an older mom to teens has had its challenges, but I wouldn't trade any of it. My late grandfather surrounded himself with young people throughout his life, and now I understand why.

• Taylor Sheridan's hit Western drama "Yellowstone" has spawned multiple spinoffs.
• The show has two prequel series, "1883" and "1923," the latter of which is set to return for a second season.
• Another spinoff series starring Michelle Pfeiffer is also on the way.

Taylor Sheridan's hit Western drama "Yellowstone" is more than just a show; it is its own television universe.

The flagship series became one of the most-watched scripted series in America, with viewers captivated by its complex family dynamics and breathtaking Montana views.

The show's success ultimately led to several spinoffs, including the prequel series "1883" and "1923."

All of the shows in the "Yellowstone" world that have been released so far are loosely connected, taking place in different time periods and focusing on different members of the Dutton clan.

If you're a newcomer to the universe, here's where to get started and the best order to watch the spinoffs.

Start with all five seasons of "Yellowstone."

Although there are now prequels to "Yellowstone," we still think it's best to start with the flagship series.

Before Sheridan backfilled the story with details of the Dutton family tree and how they came to own so much land in the Montana countryside, there was just aging rancher John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and his concerns over which of his children was the right fit to inherit it all.

The show also spotlighted the lives of the cowboys doing the grunt work at the ranch and the complicated romance between John's daughter, Beth (Kelly Reilly), and his most loyal worker, Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser).

Next, dive into the stand-alone series "1883."

"1883" tells the story of the first members of the Dutton family and their treacherous journey from the Great Plains to the Wild West before they settled in Montana to establish what would eventually become the Yellowstone Ranch.

Country legends and real-life couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill play James and Margaret Dutton in the 10-episode series, which also features a large ensemble cast that includes Sam Elliott, Isabel May, Billy Bob Thornton, and LaMonica Garrett.

The characters of James and Margaret were first introduced to viewers through a series of flashback sequences in season four of "Yellowstone."

Check out the sprawling origin story "1923" after that.

"1923" focuses on the second and third generations of the Duttons in the early 20th century.

Having established themselves in Montana, the Duttons in this series (led by Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford) face a myriad of opponents who threaten to take everything they've worked for.

It also tells a more expansive story than "1883," focusing on three parallel storylines — Jacob and Cara Dutton's struggle to keep their ranch, their nephew's perilous journey back home, and the plight of a Native American teenager.

The season one finale left things on a major cliffhanger with plenty of conflicts to resolve in the second season, which airs on February 23.

Fans have "The Madison" to look forward to.

Chances are you haven't heard much about "The Madison" just yet, but it's the next continuation of the "Yellowstone" universe and was announced last year.

Michelle Pfieffer stars and serves as an executive producer on the show, which is set to follow a woman named Stacy Clyburn, a New York City native who lives with her family in the Madison River valley in Montana.

Per Paramount Network, "the series is a heartfelt study of grief and human connection."

And (potentially) another spinoff focusing on Beth and Rip.

While announcing that the flagship series would be drawing to a close back in 2023, Paramount bosses promised "expansions" to the universe.

That perhaps includes a spinoff show reuniting "Yellowstone" fan favorites Beth and Rip.

In November, Hauser told The Hollywood Reporter that he felt there was room to explore Beth and Rip's future now they've got their happy ending.

"You can go on forever about these two. There's no walls when it comes to them, no limits," he said. "And as long as Taylor wants to write something special, I know Kelly and I would be interested to do it."

Paramount Network did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Welcome back to our Sunday edition, where we round up some of our top stories and take you inside our newsroom. Bill Gates thinks people will be "so much better off" in the future — but that young people need to activate on certain challenges. Gates highlighted four risks, including unchecked AI, that are "very scary things" for younger generations.

On the agenda today:

• How the federal workers who voted for President Trump feel about his overhaul of their workforce.
• Meet the 20 bankers who led last year's M&A rebound.
• If you're looking to lower your rent, you might want to move fast.
• Want to work for a startup? These young companies are your best bet.

But first: Low performer? Who says?

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Business Insider's app here.

This week's dispatch

Refusing to stay silent

There are layoffs driven by cost cutting. Then there are job cuts based on performance. What if, in actuality, performance-based cuts are just ordinary layoffs in disguise?

That's essentially what some Meta employees felt this year after CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a swath of cuts designed to "raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster." (On Friday we published details about which teams at Meta were hard hit by the cuts.)

Some of the people who were let go spoke with our Meta reporters. They said they had been under the impression their performance was solid, even exceeding expectations.

So what exactly was going on, and what did it mean for people caught in the quandary?

Our chief correspondent and careers writer extraordinaire Aki Ito dug in.

She had suspected people who felt mislabeled or blindsided would keep their frustrations quiet as they ventured back into the job market. In fact, many didn't. They took to LinkedIn to defend themselves against Meta's label.

"This is something we haven't seen before in the professional world: Employees sticking up for themselves in public, and calling out their former employer for misrepresenting their work," Aki wrote.

Aki didn't just recognize the new trend. She did more reporting, asking: Even if venting via social media felt good, was it a smart tactic for job seekers?

For the answer to that question and more, please read Aki's tremendous piece. As always, I welcome your thoughts on our coverage, at [email protected].

Trump-supporting federal workers speak out

As President Trump looks to slim down the federal workforce, many federal employees have expressed outrage over his job-cutting blitz. But what about the ones who voted for him?

Four federal workers who voted for Trump spoke with BI about their feelings. They said they supported Trump cutting governmental waste, but some had concerns over the administration's targeting of federal workers. One worker said it hadn't changed their support of the president.

"It shouldn't have come to this."

Also read:

• They had glowing reviews before getting fired from their government jobs. Now they're planning to fight back.

The bankers fueling M&A's revival

US companies had more than $1.43 trillion in deals last year, the highest since 2021. It's a good sign for Wall Street, signaling a rebound after the M&A freeze that started in 2022.

BI, with the help of MergerLinks, is back with its sixth annual edition of "The Rainmakers." Our list ranks the highest-performing investment bankers by overall transaction volume in the US. This time around, JPMorgan's Anu Aiyengar became the first woman to secure the top spot.

Meet the 20 Rainmakers.

Snag the apartment deals while you can

The rental market has been booming over the past two years. With so many high rises hitting the market, landlords are desperate to fill up the space — and renters have been reaping the rewards.

Enjoy it while you can. The new apartment supply is expected to dwindle as building costs increase and developers cut back on construction plans. It's laying the groundwork for another apartment squeeze that could cause rent to hike up.

Brace yourself.

The startups to bet your career on

In recent years, cost-cutting and layoffs have dulled some of Silicon Valley's shine. But now AI is fueling a new wave of tech dealmaking. BI put together a list of startups with impressive founding teams and investor dollars that are worth betting your career on.

The lineup covers a lot of ground, ranging from tools that sift through clinical notes to resources that make it easier to develop AI models.

The 43 startups you should want to work for.

This week's quote:

"We have to keep reducing costs so that we can afford the big investments in big new businesses."

— Doug Herrington, Amazon's retail CEO, during an internal all-hands meeting heard by BI.

More of this week's top reads:

• SBA won't try to claw back $155 million in controversial COVID grants to celebrities.
• Trump and Musk froze USAID funding to put Americans first. US citizens are feeling the impact.
• I'm a 44-year-old small-business owner. I've never made $100,000 in a year, and I'm still on track to retire by 50.
• Retail investors tell us how they're navigating the market in 2025.
• The last time America was this bullish on stocks was right before a huge sell-off.
• Marko Elez, who left DOGE amid social media controversy, worked for xAI.
• TikTok is ramping up RTO, and some are balking at the new requirements.
• I spent 10 hours at a real-estate conference with hundreds of investors — and the major takeaway had nothing to do with market trends.
• Forget the Trump trade. The Musk trade is where it's at.
• A hedge funder shares his precise strategy for finding high-upside meme coins, and lays out his bets for 2025.

• I helped my mom set up her phone. It could have gone better.

  ---

  The BI Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in Chicago. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Elizabeth Casolo, fellow, in Chicago.

• There's a new career trend on the rise among millennials: mini-retirement.
• A mini-retirement can provide a much-needed break from the 9-to-5 and help reorient your career.
• Three mini-retirees shared their experiences with putting a pause on their careers.

Florence Poirel spent over a decade climbing the corporate ladder at Google, working her way up to the position of senior program manager.

"I was promoted every two years," Poirel said.

Despite her corporate achievements, however, the 37-year-old Poirel didn't feel satisfied.

"I was seeing signs of work-related stress and just questioning what I was doing with my job and my life in general," she told Business Insider.

So instead of continuing to climb, Poirel decided to take a year-and-a-half mini-retirement last year.

Poirel's non-traditional career path is one that some millennials are opting to take. The goal for some is no longer to front-load their work in life and only relax in old age. Nor is it to speedrun their careers to achieve retirement as early as possible, as do participants in the FIRE movement — short for "financial independence, retire early." Poirel and other like-minded people are pressing "pause" on their careers with the goal of returning to work with a better sense of purpose and enjoyment.

Not your conventional retirement

What exactly is a mini-retirement? Jillian Johnsrud, a career coach who specializes in helping people achieve financial freedom, defines it as "any time someone takes a month or longer away from the 9-to-5 to focus on something that's important to them."

The definition of a mini-retirement is flexible and depends on individual preferences. But at the end of the day, it's meant to be a temporary departure from the path of working a 9-to-5 nonstop until official retirement.

Johnsrud is 41 and has taken 12 mini-retirements in her life so far. Most recently, she took a monthlong break last year to learn how to tango dance.

Since leaving Google, Poirel has prioritized resting, reconnecting with friends, and spending time with family. She's also still involved with professional pursuits in mini-retirement. With more free time, Poirel is providing career coaching services and helping a friend's startup.

Brian Li spent almost two decades building a successful career at various startups before mini-retiring at 42. Li is planning to return to work next month after a yearlong career break, but that doesn't mean he spent his time idling. He went into his mini-retirement with a plan to read books and take courses but soon decided to actively pursue more unconventional opportunities on top of that — such as working on an election campaign, learning cooking skills in Japan, and working on independent consulting projects.

The mini-retirement gave Li the flexibility to explore creative skills and learn in ways he couldn't at a traditional job.

"I made a concerted effort to go meet people and say, 'Hey, here are the things I want to learn, here's where I want to develop myself. Do you need help?'" Li said. "I was an apprentice, and so there were no boundaries for me to show up at work and say, 'I got to do the things that I'm getting paid to do.'"

An opportunity to reorient your career

People seek out mini-retirement for many reasons. Millennials are entering their second or third decade in the workforce. No longer new to the job market, perhaps they're evaluating what direction to take their career next. Or maybe they're trying to balance their career with young children. These big life changes make a mini-retirement especially appealing to Johnsrud's clients.

It doesn't have to be as serious as burnout, although Johnsrud certainly sees many cases of that. A mini-retirement can help people redefine their professional lives and shape their work into something more fulfilling.

At Google, Poirel was experiencing decreased motivation and energy and an increase in work-related stress. Poirel sees her mini-retirement as a way to steer her career away from corporate goalposts.

"Obviously there are ups and downs to that," Poirel said of workplace stress. But after finding herself experiencing heightened levels of dissatisfaction for many months, Poirel took it as a sign to take a break.

When her mini-retirement ends in September, Poirel plans to look for a job at a company focused on sustainability, a topic that aligns with her own values.

"I am not interested at all in climbing the ladder anymore. Higher job titles mean more responsibilities, more stress, more working hours, and that's really not something I want to do," she said.

For Li, his career priorities have changed over time. While Li has gotten a lot experience working in the startup space, but he's looking to expand his skill set for the next chapter of his career and work in a different environment.

"The boxes that I'm checking now are fundamentally different than the boxes that I was checking before my career break," Li said.

Some things can't wait until 65

Mini-retirees don't agree with the idea of waiting until your sixties to enjoy life.

This was especially true for Poirel, whose partner is 17 years older than her. "When I'm 60, he's going to be 77. That doesn't sound fun for me," she said.

Poirel also spent a month with her family earlier in her mini-retirement — something she hasn't done since she was a student.

Having young children can also be a catalyst for a mini-retirement. It definitely was for Johnsrud, who once took a 10-week mini-retirement to go on a road trip with her children.

"I was like, if we didn't do this now, I can't do this trip in 20 years," Johnsrud said. "There's no way 20 and 30-year-olds are going take 10 weeks out of their life to do 10 national parks in a pop-up camper with me."

For Li, a mini-retirement offered him time to focus on his newborn daughter and prioritize his family in a way that he couldn't have working a rigorous job at a startup.

"There are certain seasons in our life that if we don't do the thing now, it'll pass us by. It won't hold on the shelf until we're 65," Johnsrud said.

Do you have a mini-retirement story you want to share? You can reach Christine at [email protected]