What's the first thing you can remember happening that made you say...

[dolo amber]

"Man, I'm old."

A few years ago I was driving around, flipping radio stations...I heard "Brass in Pocket" by the Pretenders so I left it there. When the song ended, the station identified itself as "the best OLDIES station in town". :o :cry:

[CO Liberal]

1. When I Was Around 24...

...and one of the kids working on the loading dock where I worked called me "Sir".

[slackmaster]

2. The realization that I needed bifocals

It happened at age 41.

[Bok_Tukalo]

3. Remember it specifically

Walking into a grocery store and also walking a few feet from me was what appeared to be a mother and her daughter; the daughter being either late teens or early twenties. I realized I was getting old when it occurred to me I was more attracted to the mother.

[terrya]

4. The first time a twenty-something kid called me "sir"

First of all, the fact that I'm using the word "kid" to describe someone who's in their 20's is a "man, I'm old" moment right there. :-)

But the first time I heard the word "sir" coming from a younger person pretty much put things in perspective.

T

[neweurope]

5. When a friend jokingly asked me to motivate him and I shouted

"Gimme an F! Gimme a U! ....." While he broke out laughing after the "F" his much younger partner's face was a question mark. We had to explain: Long, long ago there was a thing called Woodstock... That's when it hit me.

Don't cry! Hey, we oldies are great!

:hi:

----------------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[RetroLounge]

6. The first time I said "I'm Old Enough to be your Father"

and it was true...

RL

[Magrittes Pipe]

7. When I realized that my girlfriend is nearly 38 years old...

...and that she acts younger than I do. :scared:

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. When I realized that most pro athletes

were younger than me.

[MarianJack]

9. Mentioning John Wayne to my students...

...and them not even knowing who he was for me!

For My Wife it was being called "Maam" for the first time, and NO, I didn't do it!

[SarahB]

10. When my daughter grew taller than me.

It's really freaky to have had someone who once lived inside your body become bigger than you are.

[asthmaticeog]

12. At least she had the courtesy to get out first. n/t

[OnionPatch]

11. Bellbottom jeans

I am now wearing the exact same style of jeans I wore as a teenager. (a few sizes larger :P )

[slackmaster]

15. Those made me into a life-long fashion rebel in the '70s

I was a Levi's kind of person back then.

[blondeatlast]

26. Don'cha wish you'd saved them? I could make a fortune

off my JH/HS wardrobe!

[OnionPatch]

33. Me too!

I actually feel really comfortable in them. It's kind of like coming home. :)

[asthmaticeog]

13. A few years ago when 22 year old guy told me

that he used to come see my old band when he was a kid and my first thought was "You ARE a kid." Fortunately I didn't blurt that out.

[LibDemAlways]

14. My husband has had two of those jolting moments.

First was when an attractive young woman asked him if he was married. When he said yes, her response was "Too bad. You'd be perfect for my mom."

Second was when he was walking on a mountain trail alongside our then two-year-old daughter and a passerby said "Its wonderful to see a grandpa taking his granddaughter out for a hike."

He is prematurely gray, but he doesn't look that old!

[slackmaster]

16. I have the opposite problem

I look 10-15 years younger than I am, but it's fun seeing the shocked expression on younger women's faces when they've been flirting with me and discover that instead of what they consider just the right age I'm old enough to be their father.

I got "carded" buying beer on my 42nd birthday. Twice the minimum legal age!

[LibDemAlways]

19. I used to look younger than my years, too.

When I was 25 I was stopped by a policeman who wanted to see my license. He told me he stopped me because he thought I looked about 14.

When I was in college I was studying to be a teacher and was assigned to a high school for student teaching. I was repeatedly stopped and asked to show my hall pass. The kids never took me seriously and made my life miserable.

After my daughter was born when I was 40, I finally started looking closer to my age thanks to lack of sleep and the stress of dealing with a newborn. I'm now 52 and used to being called "ma'am." I'd give anything to be carded!

[blondeatlast]

27. I was carded in Vegas on my 32nd birthday.

That was many years ago, too.

[catzies]

34. That's my problem too. I got carded when celebrating daughter's 21st

Yes, I got asked for ID and she didn't.

[Ready4Change]

17. Muzak version of a Springstein song.

Stopped me in my tracks for a moment. Then I shrugged and got on with life.

The only way to avoid aging is to die, and I'm not into that just yet. ;)

[sundog]

18. when I read this thread

:P

[JimmyJazz]

20. When the clothing I wore in high school became "retro"

- ouch -

[sundog]

21. that's not retro, it's just bad taste

I was just tryin to break it to ya easy :P

[JimmyJazz]

22. Good morning to you, too - Sir Tasteykake -

FTR - my mother hated everything I wore. Isn't that an indication that I was quite stylish?

[sundog]

31. haha

no... It's one of those rare instances when the parent actually DOES know better than the child :7 :hi:

[blondeatlast]

23. When I caught myself saying "kids today," in response to

realizing I was sent home from school for wearing the kind of 70's retro clothes so common on the "kids today."

GACK!

[Bertha Venation]

24. When a friend's daughter, born when I was an adult, turned 18.

Dude.

[blondeatlast]

25. Chrissie's daughter is (sit down) TWENTY, folks. nt

[Jamastiene]

28. Making noises

when I stand up after I have been sitting down for a long time.

[blondeatlast]

29. Ssssshhh...

(That's the floor, silly.)

:hi:

Been there, done that. Ouch.

[Jamastiene]

30. Tehehehe

No the floor is the place I aim for when my back catches not long after I make the noises getting up, haha.

[Nikia]

32. I left my home area when I went to college

I read my hometwon newspaper on line. I check out the marriage and engagement section. I began to feel old when people who I remember as elementary schoolers started to get married. It is true that some people marry early there, but it is still a weird feeling. I am 27.

[Longgrain]

35. Buying beer and not getting carded

Even tho the kid in line in front of me was, and he didn't look much older than I did...

[Lady Effingbroke]

36. Several things:

While driving, when a 16-year-old (or thereabouts) blew past me in his Mustang and I muttered to myself "damn punk kids"!!!

When they created an entire radio station (the best of the 80s) just for people like me!

While at the grocery store with my 62 y.o. father, the checker said "I see you brought your wife along"!!! (ouch) - I am 35.

When buying beer at another grocery store, the checker monitoring the U-Scan registers asked to see my ID (my back was turned to her). When I turned around and looked at her, she said "Oh, never mind, you just look really young from the back"!!! (ouch, again!)

:crazy: :silly: :dunce:

[Cadence]

37. When I get called Ma'am at the grocery store.

I hate that. I'm 31... but in my head I think wtf!! I'm only 25!! Ma'am! Meh.

[yellowdogintexas]

38. when I realized I was older than many physicians that treat me

and when I realized that my daughter's best friend has a grandmother who is only 2 years older than I am


Oh Yeah and my high school sweetheart had grandchildren older than my daughter.

[blondeatlast]

39. The doctor thing really bugged me bug the first time.

Especially considering he was a cardiologist. I can't tell you how long it took me to recover--not from the surgery, just from the age of the doc (I haven't even had menopause yet).

:scared:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

40. When I was asking my students what year they were born in

(language teachers can ask these questions, especially in the case of Japanese, where it's a good way to practice saying large numbers) and all the years they named were years when I had been in high school or college. :-(

If I were still teaching, the students would all have been born during the early years of my teaching career. :scared: