What does it mean to feel a certain age?

I think we became unlinked from age in the 1960s. For instance – the gulf between the music I listened to, and the music my parents listened to was vast, but my kids and I like the same music. That’s just one example among many.

@pdworkin but what of today’s obsession with youth and conquering aging?

I don’t know. I don’t participate in it, and when I see it I am both amused and repelled.

You feel your age when your friend calls you up and says ‘Hey, come out for a drink mate there’s this awesome band playing at The Water Rats’ and you say ‘Dude, I’m not sure man… I mean, I’ve got work tomorrow… And I went out yesterday… Maybe next week yeah?’

@EdMayhew I completely know how you feel – after having children I am different – things that used to interest me do not anymore and that’s all for the best (vomiting in random toilets has to play out eventually, ya know?)...but I don’t think not wanting to do things you used to enjoy is age specific..it’s more change-specific

@Simone_De_Beauvoir

Meh, my situation hasn’t changed much, but the intensity and longevity of the hangover…

When I was 18 I could go down the pub and get utterly lashed, with no side effects the next day. Now, if I go out on a heavy one I’m useless for at least two days!

My older brother has a kid now, and man have his priorities changed!

@EdMayhew so when you were 18, did you ‘feel’ 18 because you were able to drink with the best of em?

No, but I sure as hell don’t feel 18 now.

I’m not quite sure, but I’ve always felt older than I am. I’ve never meshed with people my own age. I’m almost completely uninterested in the things most 20 year olds are into. I can’t wait ‘til I’m 30. I think it’ll be great.

I never thought about it until a few years ago. One day I felt like I woke up and realized I was a “real” adult and suddenly started seeing physical changes of age, feeling awkward in public surrounded by my nieces and their friends. On that day I felt my age or what I thought other people felt, I guess. A friend once asked me what would I do when the day came I couldn’t pass, didn’t blend in and wasn’t “cool” anymore? I’ve just kept on living and tried not to freak out in my bikini. Most days I forget about age but I do remember that one day as feeling very strange and scary.

@Facade

Totally agree with you there, I’ve never hung around with my age group, always 6–11 years older generally

@Facade how do you think you have formed your opinion of what the ‘30s’ will be like?

I am 60, but I have friends who are in their 30s, and a very close friend who is in her late 80s.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir I just kind of averaged things out. At that age, you have some knowledge, but you don’t know everything, so things are still exciting. You’re still relatively young, yet mature. You’re hopefully independent. Ideally you have a good solid group of friends… Stuff like that.

For me it never meant anything.
I could not and still do not connect with that statement.

I still see myself 18. I do not get a feeling.

If I am re-incarnated, (with an intact memory) I might have a better reference.

I think I’ve always felt older than I am, but this is mostly because my tastes in style and music, and that I’ve never been a part of the “party scene” – as I’m getting older, I’m starting to feel more like I match up with my age, and it has become less important to me.

For me, it’s really something I guage against myself. Being in my 40’s feels very different than my 20’s. I no longer have the energy I did, I have to be careful of my knee, I have to watch what I eat because I now have diabetes and gallstones, my vision is getting worse, more grey hair… basically, falling apart more and more with each decade.

sigh!

I was about 32 when I broke a couple ribs playing football. I suddenly realized that I had a family to support, and since I was the money earner, getting hurt was stupid.
But it could also refer to that time in a man’s life when his dick stops being an automatic, and turns into a manual transmission.

As Indiana Jones said “it’s not the years its the mileage” I’m in my mid 40’s now and have wonky knees, ever greying hair (although to be fair, my hair started greying when i was 13), my memory is almost non existant (i make little notes to myself lol) and my bones make so much noise when i move you could get up and dance to it.

In spite of it all though, if i was offered the chance to go back and be a teenager again, but have to lose what I’ve learned from my various experiences, good and lots of bad unfortuanately, I’d rather be my age with my experiences intact thank you. I’m comfortable with being me.

Well you see…when you’re born….you feel…uhmmmm, born. And…when you die…you feel, uhmmmmm, dead.

@SirGoofy yeah we feel neither of those things.

I feel a lot older than my years in some ways due to extended life experiences. Hard to explain. However, I am very young looking for my age so it is hard internally to mesh the two ideas. I think society’s none verbal cues, plus huge whack in your face harping on about how not to age, has given ageing all round a bad rap. Because we reach developmental stages in all age groups even geriatric, I think there are different issues we face with different ages in our life span. Older people for example can identify “the roads being travelled by younger people from experience” We even have different peer pressures right up until we die. I wish age didn’t matter but it does. As for policing of sexuality, I have been aware of people being sexual until they die, since I was in my early 20’s.

I recall a question being asked here about sex by a person in their 50’s and a lot of younger answerers showed their disgust.

It’s a complex subject. I have met very wise youngsters of 19 and fools of 60. So in order to create logic in ones mind, we lay out yard sticks so it all makes sense. Because in the end, I am the only one who decides my age, and what it means.