I saw this on Wil Wheaton’s Google+ feed and it resonated with me because my mother and I just talked about this yesterday. She commented that someone in the family was going to turn 60 this year and it shocked me. Mom wanted to know why I was so surprised – after all, she said, “You know that I’m [this age].” Frankly, that shocks me too. It shocks me that I’m 43 years old. I don’t feel any different. Sure, I know that I’m wiser and more mature than I was twenty years ago. I know that. I may respond to stimuli differently, but deep down, I don’t feel any different than the 20 year old idiot that I was. And the kicker is that my mother said she feels exactly the same way.
I can’t be the father of an 8-year-old girl. I’m 16, playing Pac-Man at the bowling alley in Londonderry, NH. I’m 15 in the middle of a “couples skate” at Spinning Wheels roller rink. I’m 14 playing Jumpman on my next door neighbor’s Commodore 128. I still buy Hot Wheels at the supermarket. I still don’t understand girls. I’m not a good dancer. I buy too many jackets. I don’t have any of the answers a dad should have.
But...
FWIW, you don’t come across as 40-something. Of course, I group folks online into “childish,” “my age,” “older than me” and “Wow! You can use a computer, that’s awesome!” Those groups don’t line up so well with age, given that most of those that I KNOW are my age are still mentally in high school….
Foxfier recently posted..Rocket Scientist
If I think about it at all, I tend to think people are younger than they are – not sure why. But often, a blogger will make a comment about something and I realize they’re my age or older than me, and I’m surprised by it.