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I'm pushing 60, and don't think I'm "old"...yet!!!
Sometimes, I'm surprised I'm considered an "adult"!!!
You and me both....those people that say they are getting old or don't like aging...
I think...Doing any yoga or stretching or exercises?
Taking your vitamins and minerals or drinking enough water?
Bec I'm doing great and I'm older than you!
I say all that, but more delicately...to help them, as they hold their back.
I am 48 and I have wondered exactly when I would become old. I certainly don't feel old. Yet!
I am also in my 40s and while I know I am not a kid anymore, I know I am not old. This is in spite of my kids constant age jokes, and statements like , "dad this is how the technology works" or my favorite "dad this is not the 1900s anymore". To him I am a relic from another era, the dark grey pre digital age lol. Our forties are middle age, not old by any means. Time to buy a muscle car to remind yourself of your youth lol. Now I have watched my parents and inlaws age, seems that father time robs you of a lot of abilities in your mid to late 60s. By the early 70s many people are very old acting. No offense meant to my elders in here. Those who exercise and eat well can put this off for years, but lets be honest most of us don't do that. The places they cannot walk to, or the things they cannot lift is proof positive of "old age" I guess that means about 20 years to get ready for old age, God willing.
A few months ago, a similar question was asked on these forums..."At what age did you begin to feel like an adult"
In that thread, I posted
Quote:
Honestly, I'm 36 and every so often, I have a "how in the world did I ever think I was an adult then?" moment.
At 14, when I started working, I thought I was an adult
At 15, when I started dating my now husband of 14 years, and started driving, I thought I was an adult
At 18, when I left home for college, I thought I was an adult
At 22, when I got my degree and married my husband, I thought I was an adult
At 25, when I bought my house, I thought I was an adult
At 30, when my husband was laid off and couldn't find work for a year, I thought I was an adult
At 32, when I started really saving for retirement, I thought I was an adult
(no kids, or that would have figured in there too)
At every significant happening of my life, I've thought, "I guess this is what it means to be grown up", and at every stage, I've looked back later and laughed at my younger self. I expect I will keep doing that until the day I die.
If I had to pick a reasonable number to answer the question as you intended it, I would say definitely not before graduating college. College still isn't "real life" for most people. But shortly after, since I then got married and moved out of mom and dad's. So somewhere in my 22-25 year old range. But looking back now, my 22 year old self knew basically nothing about how life works, so from the perspective of 36, 22 looks very child-like. I expect when I'm 50, my current 36 year old outlook will also look that way.
I think my answer to this question is fairly similar. Whatever age I currently am, I don't feel old, but people 20 years older than me are old. But then when I get to that age, I don't feel old, but people 20 years older than that are old.
Honestly, I still feel the same as I did when I was 20, so definitely don't feel old yet. My mom recently told me that turning 60 was her point, though. She is honestly the youngest looking 60 year old I've ever seen who didn't have plastic surgery, and is in fantastic shape (better than me, honestly). But she had to have a hip replacement already last year, and her fingers have started having arthritis pain. When she turned 60, that was the point at which she started to feel like she was getting old.
Whatever age you are you're always old to someone. When my sister was 20 she did some substitute teaching. One day the kids asked her age and when she told them she got lots of "oohs" and "aahs" because they thought she was ancient.
I'm 37 and while I don't think I'm old, it seems just since this year I've become way too aware of how fast time is passing and it scares me. My dad will turn 65 next month (two years ago he came into some health problems). My mom is 61. It freaks me out knowing that my parents are now in their '60s. I'm constantly asking them if anything's wrong; do they feel ok. When my sister turned 40 last year it was a surreal feeling. Most people get depressed about their own birthdays. I do that, but I also get depressed about everyone's birthday. When people mention something about time flying by I scream "shut up!" (in my head of course). I have become obsessed with time. I know it's not a healthy mindset, but it's an anxiety that I cannot shake. I wish it would go away because I can't imagine feeling this way forever.
I agree with the above. I also feel "different" because I don't have kids. But most who i know who are 40+ and don't have kids somehow seem more like kids themselves in a way. More immature? More uninhibited and less responsible? Idk. Most just seem different.
Not being a parent really does make a difference. I don't have kids, either, and I feel a lot younger than my chronological age (65). I think this is for two reasons:
1. When you have kids, you see the changes that time brings with your own eyes as your children grow up, become adults and have kids of their own. That makes getting older more real. All these milestones mark your progression toward old age. Without kids, your lifestyle doesn't change, so you don't feel the passage of time as much.
2. Parenting is stressful, and stress ages you.
I don't know if I am "more immature," "more uninhibited" or "less responsible" because I haven't had the responsibility of being a parent, but I think that the fact that I've never needed to be an authority figure or a role model to a child may make me seem "more like a kid" myself.
When I really feel old is when the Grammy Awards are on TV, and I've never heard of most of the artists or their songs. Or when I go clothes shopping and there's not a thing on the racks that I would ever be caught dead in (even if I could squeeze into those tiny clothes). Or when the reporters on TV news look like high school kids to me. Or when, on a website with a pop up window that asks me to select my birth year, I have to scroll WAY down to get to mine.
I'm 21 and don't feel old but I do feel like I'm starting to get too old to be single and childless...
It's so sad when I read something like this. But to be honest I was somewhat thinking like that too. I guess I was 24 when I really started to notice one by one that my friends were getting married and leaving our little "group" of single footloose and carefree 20 something's. I guess in our society that is the way things are. My advice is to get out have fun dating, but don't make it a mission to find that special someone to get tied down too, it's when you are not looking that you will find that special someone!
It's so sad when I read something like this. But to be honest I was somewhat thinking like that too. I guess I was 24 when I really started to notice one by one that my friends were getting married and leaving our little "group" of single footloose and carefree 20 something's. I guess in our society that is the way things are. My advice is to get out have fun dating, but don't make it a mission to find that special someone to get tied down too, it's when you are not looking that you will find that special someone!
It used to be that if you didn't have a family by the time you were 16, you were an old maid/old bachelor. Then it was by 20, then it was by 25. These days, 30 is totally reasonable to start a family. My sister just turned 30 this summer and she is trying to have her first child. None of her friends have kids older than 1 or 2. So late 20s/early 30s is totally normal to still just be starting your family (on purpose) these days.
I got married at 22, but it was to my high school sweetheart, right after I graduated from college (like 2 months after graduation). We'd already been together for 7 years. I'm totally the exception on that. For most people, 22 is very young to get married these days unless you've accidentally started your family earlier than anticipated.
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Anyway, physically I feel 14.
Or when I go clothes shopping and there's not a thing on the racks that I would ever be caught dead in (even if I could squeeze into those tiny clothes). 
Or when the reporters on TV news look like high school kids to me. 
Or when, on a website with a pop up window that asks me to select my birth year, I have to scroll WAY down to get to mine. 
