What do you like about old people?
Obviously the definition of old is relative, but for the sake of this question let’s define it as being over 70.
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24 Answers
Their life wisdom.
Their stories.
Their perseverance.
I think even the grumpiest, most bitter, elderly have all of those qualities.
There is a different sort of humor that comes with age. Old people can be really funny once you get to know them.
The sense of history, alive. Hearing about something from a first-person perspective is so much more enthralling than any history book.
Stoicism
Life experiences
Take no shit attitude
Behaviour toward pets
They have gained experience in life because they have seen the world more. So if you need any advice just go to them.
They know people you can’t believe they know. At some point way back in the past they kissed him/her or skipped school with that guy.
They often have fabulous stories to tell.
They often don’t sweat the small stuff because they have figured out what really matters.
They dress in things they want to wear rather than worrying what people will think of them.
As a group, they smell funny. Sort of like old babies. Thank goodness I am only 66 so do not yet have the problem.
@rooeytoo No, because it’s almost always an unpleasant odor – combo of mothballs and urine.
They are usually easy to beat in a boxing match.Usually.
Many elderly people also take the time to stop and enjoy the simple things. I love that.
@FutureMemory well unless they smell of something like cookies or tea roses or 4711 cologne. Not ALL old people smell nasty. I take your point though. If they smell ‘funny’, that doesn’t suggest it is a pleasant smell.
I like the old school cool that seems to come only from a dying era. I love the stories when legends like Eartha Kitt and Ella Fitzgerld would play at hip clubs. My mom is 70. She has great stories.
I love how old people often have a take-no-shit attitude. Like they’ve been around for 70+ years, they’ve paid their dues – just say what you mean and do what you want.
They are genuinely happy to see you!
Being of “a certain age” I have outlived many of my male contemporaries. That and the fact that I have a job, my own teeth, and hair makes me a hot number at the Senior Citizen Center.
The fact that many of them still have their morals, values, and beliefs grounded in the 1950s and early 1960s, when America was in its Golden Age.
I also find it refreshing that a lot of old people, in addition to retaining strong traditional values and morals, continue to dress properly and groom themselves respectfully when they go out in public, like they did in the 1950s and early 1960s. Sometimes I see elderly ladies in nice dresses and hosiery, their faces “powdered” and their hair done up at the beauty salon, and wearing a bit of tasteful jewelry, on city buses. Old gentlemen still donning fedoras and suits, with their canes and smoking pipes. That’s what I admire about some old people——their sense of self-dignity, borne out of a simpler time. They really put a lot of young people to shame when it comes to looking after themselves.
@MRSHINYSHOES – I completely agree. I, myself, am a bit of a slob, but my parents fit your description to a T. My mom was born in 1909 and my dad in 1906.
Their stories of what life was like while they were growing up are priceless. Their ability to provide sage advice on certain topics is also valuable.
There is a certain admiration for elders that are able to let go of past inhibitions. There was an elderly woman who ran the bakery section were I worked in my teens. She used to pass gas and say, “I’m over 80. I don’t care what anyone thinks about it anymore.” She also used to ping bread rolls off of the back of our heads when we did something stupid. RIP Miss Eleanor.
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