The Exact Second You Realized You Were Old

[Flying Saucerian]

Overheard some folks at a department store chatting with one another: "Yeah, my mom, she's REALLY old, she was born in 1970..."

I was born four years earlier. Thank you.

[SmartAleq]

I'll let you know when it happens to me. I was eleven in 1970.

[stormie]

I took a high-school age friend shopping and told you 'you are not wearing that' (a very short stretchy skirt with flounces). I figured that was it, old-wise. (Or at least old. The wise I have not managed yet.)

[bufftabby]

Today I had to explain to my intern who the California Raisins are.

[sturmhauke]

Today I emailed my friend that all-night LAN parties cost me too much in recovery time afterwards.

[Colonel Plink]

I had interviewed Asia's John Payne prior to their coming to town (Lovely man, wonderful interview.) They were playing a gig right on Main Street in front our studios.

One of their roadies came in to glom a station T-Shirt and I got to talking with him. I mentioned the interview with Payne and he said, "Yeah, he's on the bus. He's actually mentioned you. Why don't you go and say hi?"

My response was, "Oh, that's okay, I have some work to to, then I should go pick up my daughter and get dinner ready."

The rest of my crew just stood in stunned silence. I've never felt older in my life.

[Hunter Hawk]

I was in the used-book store and the girl working the cash register was wearing a cool old AC/DC t-shirt, so I complimented her on it.

She replied, "Thanks. My mom got it when she was sixteen."

[Dragonlady]

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

I'll let you know when it happens to me. I was eleven in 1970.

Heeeeeey, me too!

High five, Beeyatch!

[Harry]

1974, on board the USS Midway: Who is that you're listening to, Peter, Paul and Mary? I think my mom used to listen to them

[Chacoguy]

When I realized that we have been putting on the annual raft guide party for longer than some of the current guides have been alive.

[Dragonlady]

When my daughter asked what a record album was.

And when I explained that we didn't have CDs when I was kid, she asked, "What else didn't they have when you were a kid?" OOOOHHHHH, DVDs, microwaves, cell phones, home computers, video cameras, digital cameras, infant CAR SEATS - shut it kid!

[DoubleJ]

Originally Posted by Dragonlady

When my daughter asked what a record album was.

And when I explained that we didn't have CDs when I was kid, she asked, "What else didn't they have when you were a kid?" OOOOHHHHH, DVDs, microwaves, cell phones, home computers, video cameras, digital cameras, infant CAR SEATS - shut it kid!

Fixed that for ya.

(Born in '76)

[Popinki]

At the store I used to work at, there was a girl (age 17, I was ~30) they hired as seasonal help and one night she was telling me about a bunch of her friends who were pregnant. One was having a girl, two were having boys, and one didn't know, and she couldn't wait to have one of her own.

I thought "kids today have no morals." Then I realized that was my first "get off my lawn" moment.

[Anacanapuna]

Originally Posted by Colonel Plink

I had interviewed Asia's John Payne prior to their coming to town (Lovely man, wonderful interview.) They were playing a gig right on Main Street in front our studios.

One of their roadies came in to glom a station T-Shirt and I got to talking with him. I mentioned the interview with Payne and he said, "Yeah, he's on the bus. He's actually mentioned you. Why don't you go and say hi?"

My response was, "Oh, that's okay, I have some work to to, then I should go pick up my daughter and get dinner ready."

The rest of my crew just stood in stunned silence. I've never felt older in my life.

I knew I was old when I had to turn to Plink and ask, "Who the hell in John Payne?"

[Swivels]

When one of the undergrads working in my lab started asking around to see what she should wear to a '90s themed party.

[Solfy]

I was bathing a ~10mo old Eldest. She pooped in the tub.
I took her out, and while I was draining the tub, she pooped on the floor.
I got the tub cleaned out and refilled, put her back in, and while I was cleaning the floor, she pooped in the tub again.
I called her father, told him to put a diaper on her because I give up, and cleaned the tub again.
One of the times I was cleaning the tub it dawned on me that when you're the person responsible for cleaning the poop out of the tub, you're officially all grown up. It made me feel old.

[GreyCloud9]

Hit Girl asked me yet again if we had T.V.'s when I was a kid.. ONE of us thinks I am old!

[Random Precision]

I don't remember the exact moment I first realized that the years ahead of me were fewer than the years behind, but I did have a reminder a week or so ago. A young lady working on my team is renting a house soon and she mentioned that she was going to need to buy her first lawnmower. I gave her my old mower that I no longer use. The "crap I'm old" moment came when we realized that I'd had that mower since she was 4 years old (she's 24).

[eleanorigby]

I've had several...


Bringing first baby home and realizing that 1. they allowed us to do this, unsupervised and 2. there was no one going to come and relieve me: this was 24/7 for the rest of my life. That was a tad stupefying and actually still is.

When a babysitter asked me who BTO was. When I replied, Bachman Turner Overdrive, she still looked mystified. When I told her (and hummed, for her listening pleasure--I'm thoughtful like that) Takin' Care of Business... blank. Not sure why she had asked (now-long time ago) in the first place, but having her stumped by this made me ask her if she had heard of the Beatles. She had, thank god. This was in 1994, so I am not sure if a teen babysitter today would know.


When I got a phone call from another mother accusing Daughter of corrupting her precious snowflake. Listening to this woman (who was out of line, IMO), I realized that I was the one who had to handle this-- In case you're interested in the heinous crime Daughter perpetrated on this sheltered innocent, it was this: the urban legend that FUCK stood for For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. In 7th grade.

When #1 son wanted to make a phone call from the basement (he was 7 and just starting to make his own calls) and I told him he could, but he picked up the receiver and asked how--it was a rotary phone.

When I started to look at female fashion and think not "oh, how cute!" but instead, "how skanky/how chilly/how impractical".

[bufftabby]

Originally Posted by eleanorigby

When I started to look at female fashion and think not "oh, how cute!" but instead, "how skanky/how chilly/how impractical".

But they are cold impractical skanks! Oh, how nice you look in your skin-colored leggings that you're wearing for pants that you've slashed from top to bottom. The zebra-striped bra hanging out was a really nice touch. Oy.

[GreyCloud9]

Originally Posted by eleanorigby

I've had several...


Bringing first baby home and realizing that 1. they allowed us to do this, unsupervised and 2. there was no one going to come and relieve me: this was 24/7 for the rest of my life. That was a tad stupefying and actually still is.

I wonder how many women now days feel like this. My EXACT thought was "They are letting ME bring this baby home?, are they out of their minds?" I had changed maybe three diapers in my whole life prior to her being born.

[Harry]

It was by no means the first time...I mentioned that upthread...but my sister and I were at the funeral home making arrangements for my wife, and I looked at my sister and said "It just occurred to me that the grownups aren't going to come and take care of this."

[Dragonlady]

Originally Posted by GreyCloud9

I wonder how many women now days feel like this. My EXACT thought was "They are letting ME bring this baby home?, are they out of their minds?" I had changed maybe three diapers in my whole life prior to her being born.

I remember thinking that, too. "There's no training or anything? A class or a book? Really?"

ETA: When I first saw Dragonette with the Hatchling, I thought the same thing..."What the hell do you know about it? You are SO screwed."

[jali]

The kids and I were dancing around the living room together and I noticed that I was the only one still dancing. This was about 15 years ago. The eldest was about 19 and the baby was about 5.

The kids were laughing at me. All of them.

[eleanorigby]

Originally Posted by bufftabby

But they are cold impractical skanks! Oh, how nice you look in your skin-colored leggings that you're wearing for pants that you've slashed from top to bottom. The zebra-striped bra hanging out was a really nice touch. Oy.

I agree....

Yeah, I couldn't believe that I could just walk out of the hospital with this small person--I WAS IN CHARGE AND EVERY DECISION I MADE WAS GOING TO HAVE AN IMPACT. Quite paralyzing. But that quickly changed to uber-defensiveness when someone tried to give "advice", which (thank god) mellowed to good intentions or selective deafness on my part (and sometimes the advice WAS good!).

Harry--I felt that when I had to go identify my sister's body.

[crackrat]

A few days ago, when I realized I could feel a storm coming from the pain in my knees. I'm not even 30 yet...

[Tug]

The first time I saw a kid in a letter jacket with a number in the teens on the sleeve.

It was reenforced the first time a kid whizzed by me on Heelys.

[stormie]

sry, given the picture I don't believe you get to have had this particular moment yet.

[sturmhauke]

Tug's practically a babe in arms. Preferably my arms. :w

[Xploder]

Many different times: When my oldest daughter got pregnant, when my middle daughter joined the Army, when my middle daughter then got pregnant, when I paid off my house, when I had my 4th knee surgery, when I had my 3rd back surgery.

Feeling old dammit.

[Clothahump]

I think I've told this story before, but...

A while back, I stopped for lunch at Subway. There were three lovely young ladies at the booth beside mine. I was eating lunch, reading and mildly letching after the young ladies when they started talking about ages and birthdays. I realized that I was older than all three of them added together.

At that point, I officially became a Dirty Old Man, the guy their mothers used to warn them about.

[Wolf Larsen]

Wolfette and I was skiing. It was getting late in the day and I was getting tired. She asked very solicitously, "Daddy, do you want to take the easy way down?".

(*)#(*$#* kids.

[Tug]

Originally Posted by stormie

sry, given the picture I don't believe you get to have had this particular moment yet.

Mmm...well...in my defense, this pictures about a year old

[Dragonlady]

So, now you are 23?

[Tug]

23 and 12 halves

[Mr. Buttons]

My right shoulder cracks/pops for about the first 8-10 push-ups I do now.

It didn't used to do that.

[Mako]

• Feeling uncomfortable because of the boistrous kids drinking cider in front of a shop in the nearby estate.
• Making the (second-most) sensible decision in my last car purchase.
• Beat cops are mostly younger than me. And seem to have have less respect for people than I do.
• The day I decided that wine is better than beer.

[HongKongFooey]

Originally Posted by Mr. Buttons

My right shoulder cracks/pops for about the first 8-10 push-ups I do now.

It didn't used to do that.

Not another one. Are your arms straight out to the side or are your elbows pointing at a 45 degree angle toward your hips?

I still don't feel old yet (almost 41). Some day it'll happen I guess.

[silenus]

In the words of one of my old Department Chairs: "You know you're getting old when the senior cheerleaders don't do a thing for you, but you think some of their moms are hot!"

[Guinastasia]

When some friends and I were saying we liked to listen to the oldies station sometimes, and one girl popped up and said, "Oh yes, I just love Bon Jovi!" ("Oldies" stations usually play like, fifties - early seventies music, right?)

When I realized that kids who were born the year I graduated high school are now IN high school.

When the cousin of mine, that I used to babysit, got his driver's license.

When I found out that Pearl Jam was going to release their 20th anniversary edition of Ten.

[bufftabby]

I get a little older every time I have to chase the ambulance to the hospital.

[Salambo]

It was... there were gerbils. Also, it didn't happen per se, but it sort of sank. The gravy was lumpy. Someone took the safety net away. AND THEN, I GOT OLD.

[Jaledin]

Right now. Two days ago a friend got himself effed for DUI or whatever it's called. For once, I was on the right side of old man John Q, but there wasn't shit I could do about it -- this old man river is fucked, and there ain't shit for me to do.

That's when I turned old, I guess.

[Mr. Buttons]

Originally Posted by Guinastasia

When some friends and I were saying we liked to listen to the oldies station sometimes, and one girl popped up and said, "Oh yes, I just love Bon Jovi!" ("Oldies" stations usually play like, fifties - early seventies music, right?)

When I realized that kids who were born the year I graduated high school are now IN high school.

When the cousin of mine, that I used to babysit, got his driver's license.

When I found out that Pearl Jam was going to release their 20th anniversary edition of Ten.

If i had to pinpoint an exact moment I felt old, it was when I was listening to a classic rock station and Nirvana, Pearl Jam and The Smashing Pumpkins made an appearance in under 60 minutes. I was gobsmacked that the radio station had deemed this classic rock already (2004ish). My 19 year old co-worker at the time didn't seem to give 2 shits, but I was gobsmacked (30 minutes minimum.) I tells you.

[Mr. Buttons]

Originally Posted by HongKongFooey

Not another one. Are your arms straight out to the side or are your elbows pointing at a 45 degree angle toward your hips?

I still don't feel old yet (almost 41). Some day it'll happen I guess.

I keep my arms at shoulder-width, and use either barbells/a pushup-bar, the elbows do go out to around 90 degrees (laterally from shoulders). The pop is a weird one, it's not bad... annoying a bit, but not as satisfying as a good back/neck/finger crack. There's no pleasure, but no pain, just a weird cracking noise like opening/closing an old door.

ETA: I just re-read your post... I never did the 45 degree elbow to hip angle before... will that help?

[HongKongFooey]

It does for a lot of people. Push-ups are a bit like behind-the-neck presses in that some people can do them with zero issues while others risk some type of impingement. Luck of the draw. If you're able to activate your lats during a push-up that also helps stabilize the shoulder and elbow joints.

[Jeff]

HI I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION, HELP PLS

[HongKongFooey]

WHAT!? SPEAK UP SONNY!!

[Salambo]

It's hard to be heard with a mouthful of shin.

[Anacanapuna]

In a vein more serious than my previous post:

I, too, have had several "OMG, I am old!" moments:

1. My first set of bifocals (mid-40s.)

2. My first (and unasked-for) senior citizen's discount (shortly after the bifocals.)

3. The first time my oldest granddaughter ran up to me calling out, "Grandpa!" Yes, I knew I was a grandfather before that, but hearing her voice say it pierced my heart in one of the most bittersweet moments of my life.

4. Barak Obama's election; for the first time in my life, the POTUS is younger than I am. By ten years!