Books were written about women artists, aviators and many other women, but not about stay-at-home moms. They were out of fashion, dumped at the door of a consignment shop. I didn't like the world to undervalue my mother, even if I had.

It's no secret that the longer you work, the more likely it is that you'll eventually report to someone who's younger than you are. And as more boomers push off retirement in response to a challenging economy or simply because they prefer to work, the younger boss-older subordinate phenomenon is becoming more common.

On a recent Friday afternoon a colleague stopped by my desk, and by the look on her face, I could tell she came for one thing and one thing only. S...