how old were you when you first truly realized that you aren't so young anymore?

[luminosity]

As the title asks, when did you first realize that you were genuinely getting older? Maybe have more aches and such, got crows feet, a wrinkle here or there, or just looked/felt older than you ever remember?

[Abstract]

When peeing in pools was no longer seen by other parents as...."cute".

[Leareth]

when I stopped being ID'd at the liquor store. :o

or when service people started calling me ma'am...

[lancestraz]

When you're not allowed to sit at the "kids" table during family gatherings. Duh.

[Chuckypool]

About 34. Now I'm 36 and it's not getting any better :mad:

[Mac OS X Ocelot]

Four. As soon as my fourth birthday I looked back on the good old years and realized it would never be the same.

[twistedlegato]

When i saw hairs, where they were not supposed to be:eek:

[gertruded]

Still young at 70. Feeling old is a state of mind, not body.

Gertrude

[QuarterSwede]

After I got married it started to get hard to stand up after crouching. Incidentally it was probably all the physical over work I was doing at the time.

[~Shard~]

Still young at 70. Feeling old is a state of mind, not body.

Absolutely agree. When I was 10, 20 years old seemed old. When I was 20, 30 seemed old. Now that I'm 30, I still don't feel old. I am in the best shape of my life, I am getting the most out of life, living life more than I ever have and things are only getting better. I plan on taking care of my health and fitness so that I can enjoy everything the world has to offer for a very, very long time.

There may be people younger than I am, but I definitely don't feel old. :cool:

[luminosity]

After I got married it started to get hard to stand up after crouching. Incidentally it was probably all the physical over work I was doing at the time.

Oh really? ;)

[PlaceofDis]

probably a couple of years ago, but more recently its hit home a bit more. its not bothersome, just a realization.

[tMac85]

when you start looking more forward than backward. Thinking about what you need vs what you want. when i started making every decision myself. started buying my own furniture, even kitchen appliances, without even thinking of consulting my parents in the decision process. I started learning what I REALLY liked. Also when my friends started getting married and buying houses. That will really open your eyes!

[~Shard~]

when you start looking more forward than backward. Thinking about what you need vs what you want. when i started making every decision myself. started buying my own furniture, even kitchen appliances, without even thinking of consulting my parents in the decision process. I started learning what I REALLY liked. Also when my friends started getting married and buying houses. That will really open your eyes!

Yeah, those are all realizations I went through as well, and they are by no means a bad thing.

When factoring in life experiences, independence, maturity and perspective, things definitely get better and better the older you get.

To this end, I like to think of myself as a fine wine - I just keep improving with age. :cool:

[RacerX]

Well, I just turned 40 and so I can now say not at 40. If I keep up at this rate, I could be in my 60s before I start feeling old.

Frankly, I was really expecting some major change from childhood to adulthood. You know, something that would make me into... well, what ever adults are supposed to be. Hasn't happened yet. :D

It is funny that people see marriage as the turning point, but seeing as I was living with my wife at 18 and married by 20, it just seems like a natural thing to share my life with someone else... and in no way takes away my youth.

What is really strange is that I don't look all that different now than 20 years ago... and people were saying that at my high school reunion too. But when I look at photos of my father or grandfather, both looked significantly older at 40 than at 20... and significantly older than I look (or feel) now.

My mother, on the other hand, is as beautiful today as she was in her 20s, so I most likely take after her in that way.

[Iscariot]

Depends how you frame the question. Personally, I felt like an adult when I got my first apartment lease without a co-signee. As for feeling "old", give me a few dozen years.

[TheBonk]

When you can't fit in the McDonalds playplace anymore.

For real, it was in 2007 when I turned 18. It's a big step because other people recognize me as an adult. They treat me like an adult. Both at work and school. I am legally in control of my own life.

[~Shard~]

Depends how you frame the question. Personally, I felt like an adult when I got my first apartment lease without a co-signee. As for feeling "old", give me a few dozen years.

Well said. I definitely felt a lot more "adult-like" when I finished University and started a full-time job, making my own money and subsequently spending and investing (i.e. managing) my own money. Buying my own car, going traveling, getting my own apartment - I definitely enjoyed and embraced that lifestyle a lot once I got to that point.

And yes, regarding actually feeling old, I think as long as person takes care of themselves and cares about their personal health and fitness they should have no reason to feel old for a very long time. I know I don't plan on feeling old for several more decades. :cool:

When you can't fit in the McDonalds playplace anymore.

Ah yes, twas a sad day indeed... :(

;)

[iCube]

...when a teenager called me Mr!

[Abstract]

After I got married it started to get hard to stand up after crouching. Incidentally it was probably all the physical over work I was doing at the time.

Um......after you got married, what sort of physical activities did you start doing so close to the ground?

[AceWilfong]

27, and again at 71.

[doubleohseven]

I don't think I'm old; I'm 14, I am still a child or minor by law. :)

[astrostu]

When I stood up in front of a class I was TAing and talked about the impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 into Jupiter in 1994 (when I was in elementary school) ... and got blank stares. :(

[Crawn2003]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A93 Safari/419.3)

when I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in my spine at 22.

I have to take Methocarbamol and Tramadol HCL regularly.

~Crawn

[scotthayes]

I'll start feeling old Tomorrow :D

[nikopolidis]

I realize it every time I'm playing football. :) Harder to breath with much physical activity.. But maybe it is not age but health. Some bad habits make me feel so. :o
In other cases most of the time I feel young! :) Well, I am young (22 y.o.) but I think these feeling will be with me for a long time.. I hope so.
Some say that youth is not the age but a state of your soul! :)
I wish you all to feel young! ;)

[Plymouthbreezer]

When I had to go to my insurance company a few weeks back, and I realized I had to do it on my own... 18. Bam. You're an adult in legal eyes, but oddly, society still sees you as a gross teen (and rightfully so for the most part).

[::Lisa::]

When I got arthritis at 13. But not then. It was when it got severe at about 23, then was at home most of the time and the months and years started whizzing past :o

A realise I'm still young and as a past poster mentioned its a physical state of mind, I just don't feel it anymore in all ways.

[nlivo]

Im 16 and have only felt old when I have been looking at the people in my grade and the grades below. They are all so pretentious and there priorities are all wrong. They focus so much on what others think of them that they begin to stop (nice oxymoron) enjoying their lives. That is when I feel old. But I know I am not at all.

(sorry for the spelling)

[119576]

I am still young! Hah!

[Cooknn]

Still young at 70. Feeling old is a state of mind, not body.

GertrudeRock on Gerty! I'll be 48 this year and I'm working on keeping the 'young' state of mind :D

[wvuwhat]

I can't get over it. I'm 21 and I never get carded. It makes me mad, I mean I look old for my age, but still, I would like to be carded for liquor purchases.

Also, teenagers checking me out at grocery stores have referred to me as Sir on multiple occasions. I'm a freakin' senior in college, I'm not that much older than you...

I am also making many more adult decisions. I'm with a girl that will most likely be my wife soon, we got a dog, I am renting an apartment in my own name, it's sick.

I'm 21 and I feel like I missed my teen years...

[spork183]

getting old is all in your head... and in your knees, and in your back, and in your neck. I notice I don't heal like I use to. Tweaked my ankle playing basketball and it took forever to strengthen up. Course the extra 10pounds doesn't help with wear and tear. Ah well, none of us are getting off this planet alive. Pity the fool who leaves spare synovial fluid for the worms...

[dukebound85]

I can't get over it. I'm 21 and I never get carded. It makes me mad, I mean I look old for my age, but still, I would like to be carded for liquor purchases.

Also, teenagers checking me out at grocery stores have referred to me as Sir on multiple occasions. I'm a freakin' senior in college, I'm not that much older than you...

I am also making many more adult decisions. I'm with a girl that will most likely be my wife soon, we got a dog, I am renting an apartment in my own name, it's sick.

I'm 21 and I feel like I missed my teen years...

well i get carded all the time except vegas and even just recently been asked for id to see an r rated movie (had to be 17). thing is i dont look young lol and im close to 23


but yea once you have loans in your name and have your own place where parents dont help you out, etc you are getting old haha


also when you realize you

1) are older than the majority of the college population (as i am being a 5th year senior)
2) realize that the college sports you love are not being played by guys older than you like they had been my entire life but instead by guys who are younger than me
3) when you see professional athletes younger than you playing a game and being paid millions....there goes my dream of playing for the hawks lol

[eric55lv]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A93 Safari/419.3)

when I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in my spine at 22.

I have to take Methocarbamol and Tramadol HCL regularly.

~Crawn

Sorry to hear that:(

[eric55lv]

When I broke the playground at Chuck E. Cheese's :D

[juanster]

when i was at an mma event and this gorgeous girl approached me and w etalked for a bit until i aske dher age, she was 16...I could not believe it and also not that im old, or realized im old, but im not you know.. a teen anymore,, Im just 22 by the way.,..

[ErikCLDR]

I don't feel that old yet.

It seems like when you are in elementary school the kindergardeners are so young. When you are in middle school the elementary kids seem so small, when you are a sophomore in HS the freshman look like they are tiny.

Probably not until at least I graduate college.

[savanahrose]

2007 great age of 46. Can't wait for the big 5 0! I am going to celebrate, I will be half a century old! Woohoo 2011! ;) :D :p

It was when I realized that MY parents weren't getting any younger and wondering how much longer they will be here. Sorry for the downer folks. :(

I can't get over it. I'm 21 and I never get carded. It makes me mad, I mean I look old for my age, but still, I would like to be carded for liquor purchases.
Funny thing is is that I got carded even at 40. Boy did that make me mad. It is so much easier not getting carded. :)

[swiftaw]

When I turned 30 last year. The first time I took a survey after that, and I had to check the box for 30-49 rather than the box for 18-29.

[theman]

about last week, and im 17. i realized that i am about to be considered an adult, but i don't feel any different than i did in 7th grade... (probably not good).


i also felt old as soon as my days of not going to school ended, at age 5. that was a sad day for me. can you imagine, you only get 5 years to enjoy life before the torture begins!

[skunk]

I'll let you know if it happens. My parents were both playing tennis in their eighties, I had a great aunt who lived to 108, and my grandfather lived till 96, so I expect it'll be a while yet.

[pointycollars]

I don't necessarily feel that old, but just a bit dated sometimes. Like when I mention to someone that when I was in high school, back in the 90s, nobody had cell phones, or that I remember a time before the World Wide Web, or that I used to use 5.25" floppy disks.

That, and when technology creeps me out - like those bluetooth headsets. People talking into thin air, or talking in your direction but not talking to you. Creepy. So I guess that officially makes me "old". :)

[Schtumple]

When I turned 30 last year. The first time I took a survey after that, and I had to check the box for 30-49 rather than the box for 18-29.

hahaha

ahhhhhh brilliant

explaining what dial up was to a child last week made me feel a little old, I'm only 19 for gods sake...

[MacBoy108]

13, when my parents started cursing around me and not caring.

[pointycollars]

hahaha

ahhhhhh brilliant

explaining what dial up was to a child last week made me feel a little old, I'm only 19 for gods sake...


Haha, yeah. I had to do that with someone recently, too. I was explaining to someone how to get the phone number for dial-up service and they asked something akin to "Why would I need a land line to connect to the internet?", and at that point I realized they had no idea what I was talking about.

[viccles]

Nearly 23 and still feel pretty young!

[Eric Lewis]

i got my iMac in 98

now its 08...10 years later...i remember it like yesturday

[LizKat]

"Shoe the horse and shoe the mare
but let the little filly run bare..."

When Grandma walked me up to a Grant's, which was a dimestore back in the day, and the shoe salesman put my foot on his slidey metal foot-measuring gizmo, I knew that I was not a young'un any more.

Sixteen years of wearing shoes to school ensued. I was thrilled to be a "grownup" on that special Saturday, but I think the feeling only lasted until Tuesday!

[xodonniedarko]

When my brother quit hanging out with me. That's when I knew we weren't young anymore.

[teleromeo]

when a friend walked in my shop with her beautifull 16 years old doughter. The same daughter had been sitting on my lap 16 years earlier. It would have been an odd sight to have done this once more.

[Melrose]

You're only as old as you feel.

As much as I'd like to say it when I turned 21 and first bought a bottle a Rum - I'm 26 now and it's only been the last few years I've felt like I'm truly my own person and can handle myself on my own... It's really a neat feeling when you feel, deep down, that you are you, and it's okay, and you can take care of yourself as an individual.. You know?

[LeftoverCrack]

when i came home from working my first HARD day, I had never been so ready to sleep in my comfy bed.
when i had friends that had been to jail and out already.
when my first payment of rent was due.
when i got a paycheck in the thousands.

[Doylem]

My favourite quote from Mark Twain (needs thinking about for a couple of seconds. ;))

"When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."

Feeling old? Well, you come to realise that there's such a thing as death. "What, you mean I'm not going to live forever?"

Then the reality of death hits you "Some of the people I know are going to die and leave me."

Then the REAL reality of death hits you. "I'm going to die."

And then, oddly enough, it gets easier. Hey, folks, we're topsoil. As Bill Hicks said: "It's just a ride".

So enjoy it.

(I'm 56, but only in your human years)...

[ziwi]

Just now. Thanks!:eek:

[leekohler]

Well, I just turned 40 and so I can now say not at 40. If I keep up at this rate, I could be in my 60s before I start feeling old.

Frankly, I was really expecting some major change from childhood to adulthood. You know, something that would make me into... well, what ever adults are supposed to be. Hasn't happened yet. :D

It is funny that people see marriage as the turning point, but seeing as I was living with my wife at 18 and married by 20, it just seems like a natural thing to share my life with someone else... and in no way takes away my youth.

What is really strange is that I don't look all that different now than 20 years ago... and people were saying that at my high school reunion too. But when I look at photos of my father or grandfather, both looked significantly older at 40 than at 20... and significantly older than I look (or feel) now.

My mother, on the other hand, is as beautiful today as she was in her 20s, so I most likely take after her in that way.

Are you saying you're beautiful then? :) I agree with everything you've been saying though. At 40, I certainly don't look or feel old either.

[atszyman]

When you're not allowed to sit at the "kids" table during family gatherings. Duh.

Bah, my cousins and I still do, and we're mosty >30 years old. But it's mainly because there wasn't enough room at the adults table for 14 cousins and the 7 parental siblings, spouses, and grand parents...

Um......after you got married, what sort of physical activities did you start doing so close to the ground?

You know one thing that hit me is that kids are short... they require a lot of kneeling, crouching, bending over and what not....

Most of the time I feel a lot like I did when I was 14, only less self conscious. It amazes me when I think about the fact that I have a wife, mortgage, 2 kids, a 9 year old dog I've had since she was a 15 week old puppy. Of course most nights after everyone else is in bed I spend an hour or 2 playing video games so that doesn't keep me feeling old...

I came to grips with my own mortality at 18 or 19, after a step-cousin died in a motorcycle accident, he was only a few months older than me.

But if you want the one defining moment of when I realized I was definitely not a kid anymore. I started Grad School in 2003, at 26 years old, wandering around campus seeing all the younger students there, and did a quick bit of math, and realized, I was in 2nd grade when they were born... and it only got worse every year until I was in 5th grade when the freshmen were born... at least now I've finished that yearly lesson in aging... now it's just the increasing amount of grey hair every time I get a haircut...

This year is going to be fun since I'll have had my driver's license longer than the current crop of student drivers has been alive...

[freeny]

Felt old at 35. Or more accurately, I felt I wasn't young any more at 35.
I still feel like I'm 25.
I'm turning 38 this year.

I started feeling old a few years back when I would find myself flirting with college age girls, and then realize I am of little interest to them any more.

[Eric Piercey]

Young girls are definitely kryptonite (sp?) toward a youthful outlook for middle aged men. It doesn't matter if one's rich and/or famous enough to have a conga line of 19 year old hotties at his beck and call- they'll still make him feel old with their lack of wisdom-knowledge. But for regular guys like me said young ladies don't even notice us anymore. I'm happily married, but I did enjoy it when I could wink at the lasses and see them flush a bit. So there's one big reminder of one's age.

Turning 30... yep that sucked. I'm turning 40 in July. THAT my friend is the pits. I still get carded for booze though. My secret is sick amounts of Mountain Dew, and 5 hours of sleep. I'm quitting smoking literally now. I've struggled with it for years.. even stopped for over a year, but this is ridiculous. Hey kids.. don't get started with that habit. You hear it all the time.. but trust me you will get older some day. It's like that Pink Floyd song, the tolling of the iron bell or whatever it is where it says, "one day you'll find, ten years have got behind you , no one told you when to run.. you've missed the starting gun." That's how it goes down- one day you look in the mirror and you're 30, 40, 50... and it speeds up!!! You don't want to be 40 and say, "now what would I have looked like had I never smoked." You don't, I'm telling you.

[ucfgrad93]

For me its not just the age (turned 42 in January) but the events in my life that are making me feel old. For example, I had to get reading glasses, I'm taking my daughter to visit colleges this week, etc.

[Jade Cambell]

I started feeling old on July 25th, 2007, when I turned 17. I realized I only had one more year left to get my act together before i'm an adult. I still need to produce my debut CD and get in contact with film directors in L.A. before the summer of this year. I made a list of declarations on my 17th birthday, and announced them to my whole family (including a bunch of my extended family), because I realized I was running out of time if I want to be the famous multi-millionaire that I plan to be.

[Roger1]

when I stopped being ID'd at the liquor store. :o

That ended when I was seventeen. I really started feeling old at 30, when keeping weight off became harder and harder. :p Of course, staying up past 10:00 is more of an effort now, as well :p


Currently 40, and can't wait to retire.

[Mr.Noisy]

Every day, getting outta bed just takes that much longer ;)

The hangovers never seem to clear :(

[roland.g]

I'm still young.

36 BTW. ;)

State of mind, not body.

[StealthRider]

18 and change...right after indoc. It was one of those moments..."Holy ****, I'm an adult, I'm in the Navy, and I'm not going to see my family for months."

Couple that with "I Love The 90's" and I feel like a bag of old dust. :p

[BBC B 32k]

just now when I had to ask my partner how old I was so I could post this reply.

34 btw.

[biturbomunkie]

when i realized that i couldn't take anyone seriously if s/he got there/their mixed up, or if s/he tYpEs LiKe ThIs.

when i realized that random hookups are really not that awesome... i know, what's wrong with me? :(

[spork183]

old is a step in the journey. I just read over the posts and laughed at the range. Old at 18 to young past 60. Old for me was remembering the "old" guys at the 20th class reunions who were looking at the senior girls, who were singularly unimpressed. I passed that 20year reunion myself a couple years ago, and true to form, the senior girls were singularly unimpressed. Some things never change... :D

[RedTomato]

The last time I realised I'm actually a bit older was when I had a moan at the headmaster of my daughter's school, and I realised she was actually a bit nervous of me and my partner.

Damn, I remember when headmasters were like distant gods in the clouds, and now they're humans that I grumble about and work with and sometimes argue with.

Other things that remind me - police all looking very young! Getting arrested or warned by a copper younger than me! It's true lol!

[Chappers]

I felt old at 24 because I had a sore knee and the doctor asked me how the weather was outside (it was cold and wet)

I felt old at 27 because I saw a girl I used to baby-sit for...... she had one kid and another on the way

I felt old at 42 because I discovered I needed reading glasses.

But I've come to realise that old age is just a phase I'm going through ....... I will grow out of it.

[gertruded]

It just dawned on me as we just had our 50th wedding anniversary last week.

You are old only if you think you are.

Gertrude

[BaronvdB]

I would say I felt old at age 24...that's around the time all my friends seemed to be married and every couple months it seemed like one of them is having a kid (or another kid)

[BlakTornado]

My favourite quote from Mark Twain (needs thinking about for a couple of seconds. ;))

"When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."

Feeling old? Well, you come to realise that there's such a thing as death. "What, you mean I'm not going to live forever?"

Then the reality of death hits you "Some of the people I know are going to die and leave me."

Then the REAL reality of death hits you. "I'm going to die."

And then, oddly enough, it gets easier. Hey, folks, we're topsoil. As Bill Hicks said: "It's just a ride".

So enjoy it.

(I'm 56, but only in your human years)...

I'm 15, I am currently doing my GCSEs and that post has just made me realize what a waste of time it is. I'm gonna grow old and die anyway, so what's the point? WOOOOO!!!!!



:P


Ah well, I have some years left in me. haha. No need for me to worry :)


I don't feel old, really... although knowing that I'll be "done with school forever" in two months is quite scary! D:

[Schtumple]

I'm 15, I am currently doing my GCSEs and that post has just made me realize what a waste of time it is. I'm gonna grow old and die anyway, so what's the point? WOOOOO!!!!!



:P


Ah well, I have some years left in me. haha. No need for me to worry :)


I don't feel old, really... although knowing that I'll be "done with school forever" in two months is quite scary! D:

As my english teacher once said "Rebelling against the system will get you no-where, making it for you, now that, is the key to success"

Don't fail your GCSE's because you want to live fast and die young, you'll just waste your life like every other sponging, un-employed chav in this country...

[Doylem]

I'm 15, I am currently doing my GCSEs and that post has just made me realize what a waste of time it is. I'm gonna grow old and die anyway, so what's the point? WOOOOO!!!!!

Hey, hey, hey, that's not what I meant at all! Don't go blaming me in ten years, when you're living under a bridge...

All the people with some genuine spiritual insight say the same: live, every day, with the realisation of your own death. It's the sane, honest, true way to live... :)

[iTeen]

when i was 13...

[mahashel]

As Indiana Jones once put it.. "It's not the years, it's the mileage". ;)
I'm only in my early-30's, so I certainly don't consider myself "old". However, I do not consider myself "young" either, especially physically.
I believe I've packed quite a bit of living in for a 31 year-old though. heh

[cbrain]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A93 Safari/419.3)

when I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in my spine at 22.

I have to take Methocarbamol and Tramadol HCL regularly.

~Crawn

I'm very sorry to hear that.

[atszyman]

Young girls are definitely kryptonite (sp?) toward a youthful outlook for middle aged men.

Actually my kids make me feel old whenever I realize the things they are going to be taking for granted as they grow up.

I remember working long and hard trying to get an original NES which I finally got in 1989. I remember our old black and white TV. I remember our very first VCR and using tinfoil, coat-hangers and duct tape to try and get a little better reception off of the rabbit ears.

My kids don't know what it's like without TiVO and satellite TV (except at the grand parants' houses and they only lack TiVO there). They won't know what it's like to not have a computer, or the internet at their finger tips. They won't ever know the house without at least one functioning video game console. With the addition of a DVD recorder to our entertainment center, they won't have much of a concept of what a VHS tape is either, or film cameras, or existence without cell phones...

Of course when I think about it that way it boggles the mind to think about what my grandkids will be growing up taking for granted...

[dsl4c]

I realized I wasn't so young anymore, when I caught myself at a club and thought the music was too loud and I wished they'd turned it down.. I'm 26 now.. I just let the youngin's grrove out to their rap at the club now and now just rock the good old club music in my car, with reasonable volume level of course :)

[Prof.]

I have yet to realize and i am 18 turning 19.

You are as young as you feel. So, i guess i am really 50 something.:p