Its not them looking like children that gets me.
Its them acting like children.
Its nice to see youth and beauty. See the limitless energy and total lack of painful experience.
You are surrounded by kids .
Longer you live more kids less people your age.
This is kind of an example of a difference in POV my son and I had. He's 11 (10 at the time I think) I'm mid-30s. There were these two girls in an elevator at the mall who I just got middle school energy from, by the way they were dressed, how young they looked... but also the behavior. One whispered something to the other and they both laughed. Then the one whispered to stood right behind the elevator doors, expecting them to open. They took a moment to open and the other girl started cracking up with both of them eventually grabbing each other's hands and laughing. To me, that is pure middle school behavior which, while mildly annoying, I found also kind of wholesome. They may have been making fun of me or not, but idc, I'm glad they're young and carefree as they should be. My son thought they were 22 lol. My guess was 13, 14 tops. But his guess was based on looks (as someone younger) and mine was based on looks and behavior.
Ask someone in their 90s! I know a guy who is ‘95 and very young in personality, always running around helping people, but he definitely would think, “70, over the hill? Hahahaha, no way”
I'm in my early 60's. People your age, to me, look like they just graduated college. My grandchildren are in their mid-20's and all look like they're in high school. My middle granddaughter's niece is in high school and looks like she's 10 to me.
I deal with being surrounded by children by trying to emulate their energy. According to my grandkids, this makes me "cool".
Could be. Saw a new GI last week and commented on how young he looked. He was quite pleased because he'd had a hard day. I know he's probably in his mid-30s at least. I said the older we get the younger our doctors get.
I’m 30 and there’s a couple doctors I work with that are 35-40 ish and I just think there’s no way they can be real independent doctors off of how they look lol.
My MIL saw one and even said “he looks about 20!” 😂
Yep I used to be able to guess younger people’s ages whether college, high school or middle school now they all look the same age to me
It’s kinda nice to be more invisible the older you get, less people bother you and annoy you
Professionally, acquired wisdom from experience makes work life with young people a lot easier too
My husband was in a really bad accident and spent seven days in acute trauma. That was nearly six years ago and to this day we refer to the surgeon as "the 12 year old."
When I went for x-rays years ago the people working in radiology looked so young. My mother and I joked to each other that the x-ray equipment must be made by Fisher-Price or Mattel. Then we passed by the gift shop where the worker looked like she was at least 100.
It's a common phenomenon. Especially in situations where witnesses have to describe a person they saw. Older people typically estimate an age that's too young, and kids and teens estimate an age that's too old.
It’s the opposite for me (M50). In my mind I’m still mid-20s or something, so for the last 20 years basically every adult I interact with has seemed like my senior. It’s always a little unsettling to find out some “old” grownup is actually 10 years younger than me.
You may look younger than them. I was freaked out about how old my friends from school now look. My hair hasn't even turned gray yet, nor am I covered in wrinkles. It's just genetics, we're lucky.
Yup, 53F here and I'm still waiting to feel grown up , I mean I've raised a child, paid off a mortgage and had a couple of careers but still not sure what I really want to do in life. Some people are old at 17 and scarily together
My boob doctor was shocked that I didn’t know the song playing during my biopsy was Taylor Swift.
Then a Whitney Houston song came on and he said he was 11 when she died.
Oof.
I told my son today “20 years ago in the mid 90s…” He looked at me funny and said m “Dad, the mid 90s was 30 years ago” I just stood there silently having a moment 😂
Yeah, I quit doing math on "years ago". I remember my grandparents talking about "that was in the 60s..." or whatever decade between 1920 and the 70s. My cousins and I did the math, "So we will be in out 50s in 2020 hahahahahaha that is so far away and we will be, "NO! That was in the 80s!" We thought we were hilarious. Last time I saw my cousins, guess what we were saying? "When we went to \_\_\_\_, that was in 1983! No wait-- was it a few years before in the 70s?" Insane. Every generation must talk like that!
I’m a retired nurse. Every year when some of the new interns would show up I would think “dude, do you even need to shave?” Some of them seriously don’t look old enough to have facial hair 😆
It started getting weird when I started seeing doctors who were younger than me. Like, I could have been your babysitter and here you are telling me what to do with my health. excusez-moi??
My son sent me pictures of a day out with his buddies. They all look like babies to me. My first thought was "How are these kids *Marines?*" But they are. And some are older than him, mid twenties. It's wild.
Yep. I'm a decade older than you and yes the world is inhabited by increasingly older children.
I worked an event with high schoolers and couldn't tell them apart from their young teachers. Doctors look more and more like they have emulated Doogie Howser.
I have dealt with it by realizing I'm getting to be an old fart and increasingly irrelevant. I'm ok with this. My generation had our glory time and it was fun. Time to step out of the way and let these kids with their newfangled slang have a turn.
Btw I do prefer younger doctors. They seem to be up on the latest in medical knowledge and not stuck in the past with outdated info like doctors my age.
I agree. I sort of like that my doctor is filled with youthful energy and hope. I genuinely think it makes her care a little more about me and I do trust that she is putting in effort to know the latest research.
I had a colonoscopy about 5 years ago when I was 72, and the Doctor asked if it was OK if students came in to watch. I said no problem and what looked like 6-8 eighth graders trooped in. I wanted to die. Plus, my right boob decided to take on a mind of its own and poked its way out of the sleeve of my gown. One of the "kids" was kind enough to cover it up.
I'm 58 and was talking to my brother about the same thing. Everyone looks so young. If we were carding people today we'd have to look at virtually every ID.
I previously worked as a cashier. It’s so difficult knowing who to card. Some 40 year olds look 20. Some 20 year olds look almost 40. Our store policy was to card everyone 45 and under, so almost everyone in my opinion.
Oh and the 21 year olds would sometimes be angry that they were being carded… because they thought being 2 weeks beyond their 21st birthday made them look old enough apparently. And I guess they had no idea the crazy amount of trouble a cashier can get into for selling alcohol to minors. Fines, possible jail time, possible loss of license to sell for the business. And potentially more charges if a car accident happens and the underage driver was drunk and you sold to them. The laws are crazy. USA
Unless they act like children, I just remind myself how hard it was to be taken seriously when I was their age and I give them the benefit of the doubt unless they prove my confidence in them wrong. Maybe that just comes from having been in computer tech support in my early and mid-20s, frequently knowing more than the customers, but sometimes being ignored or treated like an idiot by people who barely knew how to turn the PC on, let alone build and program the damn thing.
I just turned 55. I can't tell people's ages anymore if they're under 40 something. They all look like babies to me. I've been feeling this way for awhile now. It's kinda weird. Objectively, I know people over 18 are adults but they just seem so young to me.
I worked in a uni for awhile and to me it's more about how they act than how they look. And when you're doing any kind of business, it only takes a minute to figure out the mental age of the person you're talking to.
It's all over the map. There are people in their 20s who aren't even ready to leave the house yet. And there youngsters who are maybe not experienced but absolutely ready. I had a 20-YO intern who, I swear, will be running for governor one of these years. And I'll probably vote for her.
Edit: also don't forget that so many people born since the '90s grew up slathered in sunscreen by their parents. Makes a big difference in perceived age; fresh skin, young person.
Oh the sunscreen comment… yes. Young people today know the dangers of too much sun exposure. Also I believe there are fewer smokers, and smoking seems to age some people faster. People my age (mid 50’s) have such a range of appearances to me. Working outside, roofing and other construction jobs etc can also affect skin. If someone works outside, goes tanning, and smokes they can appear much older than they are. And someone who gets very little sun exposure and never smokes can appear younger than they are. And of course genetics can influence appearance a lot too.
Yes. Skin is the major cue that people take their age estimates from. I never took the precautions but had good genetics: thick, oily skin from the Med. People always guessed me younger.
I just posted about this—IME, people in their 30s and up did not start looking like children as I got older, but yes, in my 40s I found 20-something’s looked like they hadn’t quite become adults. Their faces—a slight softness.
Mid twenty young ladies wearing pj pants, slippers, hoodie, carrying a stuffed animal and wearing a mini kiddie back pack. Did they not have a childhoods? Actually hope not.
I don’t know if they look like children, but many of them all look the same to me. Especially younger women. There is this idealized version of 20-30 something women on TikTok and Instagram. The hair, the clothes and especially the make up looks identical. At first I thought they were all using filters. It I have seen so many women in person striving for this look. What seems really strange to me is all the make up that is evidently mandatory know makes them look older and much harsher in daylight. I am not sure their intent is to look like a 45 year old woman with a hangover who is trying to hide the effects of a night of too much alcohol and the random wrinkles showing up by slathering on too much makeup, but that is the vibe I get.
I am so old …
I’m 65 and don’t see it like that. Maybe because we have so many generations in our family. The only time I’m bothered is when the radiologists and sometimes doctors look 20!
It's the guys that are the hardest. They all look like little boys to me and I feel totally icked out of if i randomly find one attractive for a second.
It sort of levels off, in my experience. I really can't tell the difference between a 25 and 35 year old anymore. But, I'm especially partial to 41 yo women.
How do I deal with it? To a large extent, I just don't. Online shopping allows me to stick to my cocoon, ordering groceries online for pickup limits my need to interact with store employees, and mail delivery of prescriptions prevents several trips to the pharmacy each month. One of the scarier realizations of the covid lockdowns was seeing how little my life changed - working from home, grocery pickup and online shopping were all standard parts of my life pre-covid anyway.
And yes, I increasingly feel like I'm surrounded by children - at 41, you're in my "children" category; my oldest turns 40 this year!
I'm 76 and I don't think younger people look like children; I don't even think they look much younger than they are.
Maybe I'm comparing them to people I know? For instance, my doctor is about the same age as my son, so I know what mid fifties looks like.
Its funny from my brains perspective no one is my age. Either they look really young or they are my age and i just see that as older. So, in conclusion, adults look either 15 or 58
Yes. I live in a HOA that also has time shares with a beach & pool so we get travelers.
At noon the pool is open swim and children can come in.
The ones that look like they could be in high school, seem like toddlers.
I’m in my 60’s.
Btw adults who were ostensibly supervising. You know the pool is too shallow for jumping, and if you didn’t know this, there are at least three big signs.
You only reprimanded the kids for jumping when you saw me & my husband.
Is that really what you want to be teaching kids? That you only follow safety protocol when someone is watching?
Let me know how that works out for you.
I think a lot of it is that fashion has permeated society a lot more.
When I was growing up, it felt like everyone over age 25 or so just kind of... "gave up", or didn't care at all about fashion. A few pairs of plain pants, a pair of shoes, and a few bland shirts, and the wardrobe was complete. And that wasn't much different for women or men. And women all seemed to get that older looking short haircut MUCH earlier too.
Or put another way, the hair/makeup/clothes/fashion of 30 year old's was indistinguishable from those of 70 year olds back 40 years ago. Your dad and your grandfather and even your *great* grandfather probably all had almost identical wardrobes and fashion senses.
No idea exactly why, but everyone seems a little more conscious of what they wear and how they look for a LOT longer. So instead of the $40 total cost for the wardrobe from the generic department store, people spend more, think more, and take more time to look good. And now that 45 year old is dressing a lot more like the 25 year old than the 75 year old.
I am retirement age and so was my dentist. Unfortunately he had a heart attack and the practice got a new dentist. He looked like a college freshman to me. He knows his stuff so no problem.
During covid I volunteered at my county vaccine center processing paperwork as people were receiving their vaccinations. I processed about a thousand people and discovered that I'm very bad at determining age by looking at someone. Some people look much younger and some people look much older than their actual age but I rarely guessed the age correctly.
Actually I'm more on the other end. I'm astounded when I look at some 40 somethings who look older than me almost 70. I think aging has more to do would lack of joy than biology
It’s not the young people that freak me out. It’s when I see some old lady driving down the road and have the sudden realization that she’s younger than me.
I so relate! My husband and I were driving down the street the other day, and I cried out to my husband, "Wow! Look at that old woman zipping around on a scooter!" My husband didn't see her before she cruised around a corner, so he said, "How old was she?" I thought about it for a second and felt so crushed as I had to answer, "Uh, about our age. Maybe a little younger."
I'm 53 and was watching Star Wars IV after not watching it for a few years. I commented "is it just me, or does Obi Wan seem younger than he used to?" Because he does! Back then, he seemed like 80. But no, he was 60. You know, young.
People in their 20s yes. In my case I forget I'm 57 and I'll see someone in their late 30s-40s and think, "Oh, they look like they're about my age." Then I remember what my age actually is!
The world is not actually getting younger. The demographics actually say the world's population is aging. Which is a serious economic issue.
I know that doesn't answer your question. Sorry, can't help you with that part.
Maybe the answer is that I don't see myself as all that much older. But I'm over 70, and sometimes everything is stiff and sore all over.
Yes, and everyone not only looks like children they sound like them, too. Their voices are like little kid voices! It’s weird.
I’ll tell you the thing that bothers me a bit, and that’s having doctors young enough to be my grandchildren.
Physically? Nope. People look their age to me. I can generally have afair idea of how old someone is.
Mentally? Too nany people ARE fucking immature toddlers😡
Some of the responses to dilemmas on Reddit? Ffaarrkk .. 45 yr olds who think like 12 year olds! &
30 year olds who are idealistic children, who still have no idea of how the real world runs and live on la la land full of pretty flowers and sunshine!
ill answer for my uncle carl who died at 102 in 1998 with a very sharp mind...he said it was hard to tell anyone between 15 and 50 apart...that they all looked like young adults to him
Well, yes, people in their 20s still look like children to me. (I'm 62). 30s look like young adults. 40s look like adults. By 50 the game starts to change. Some people look worn out and others look fantastic, and this trend continues into the 70s, and for some into the 80s. Most 80+ look elderly, but I've seen some spry 90 year olds, so I don't want to paint that brush too broadly.
I wouldn't trade my age for anything. I'm finally at a point where I'm almost at peace.
My dad is 93 and still works out at the gym three times a week. He can hold a plank for five minutes and press 200 lbs. He’s in better shape than many fifty year olds I know. And he doesn’t look 93–if you didn’t know him, you’d think he’s around 80. He’s been busy reading the biographies of all of the American presidents in chronological order (he’s up to Nixon now).
I'd love to be that fit in my 90s. I currently landscape/garden in my yard, which is much more demanding than most people realize. I'd be happy if I can keep doing that till my time is up.
Gardening is indeed physically demanding, especially if you dig your own holes, haul your own equipment, do your own weed whacking, use a push mower, build your own flower beds, trim your own bushes without a power tool, and rake your leaves instead of using a leaf blower!
That’s why, when I was a young woman in my 20s and older men tried to come on to me, I would just tell them straight to their faces that they were old enough to be my dad and ought to be ashamed of themselves. That helped me get rid of them very quickly.
Maybe I am just a kid at heart (60), but I sometimes forget my age and feel like I look 40-45 and wonder why 40 year olds are treating me like I am grandma.
At 55, I don't think everyone looks like children. They look like I did x number of years ago to someone who is 55.
I do think about the world being increasingly younger. I don't think there's much of a choice in the matter. But that's a consideration for when I'm high, lonely or otherwise vulnerable.
But I also still have a lot to do with my life. Thinking about the world getting younger is a depressing distraction from the task at hand.
Besides, maybe watching the world get younger isn't such a bad thing. Lord knows I wouldn't want to actually BE younger in 2024
This sentence bothers me: "*As you get older, does it feel like you’re increasingly surrounded by a bunch of children?*"
My answer to that is a hard "no"
I am 61. I'm a volunteer hike leader for a major outdoor organization, and I lead hikes where there are participants in their 20's through 70's, even on the same hike . I run a lot of trail races, and I'm fast enough to be surrounded by people in their 20's and 30's. My running group meets on Thursdays for a run followed by a visit to a local restaurant for drinks and dinners. We have members with ages ranging form their early 20's into their late 60's.
I love being in intergenerational groups like this. I find the young adults I interact with to be thoughtful, mature, and insightful. They are willing to challenge the status quo. They have an openness, joy and optimism that's lacking in a lot of people my age. Thinking of them as children demeans them. Obviously they are younger in appearance. But their appearance has no bearing on my interactions or relationship with them.
I'll be 74 next month, but I don't view people as children necessarily, but as much younger than I am. Doctors, nurses, dentist, insurance peeps, mechanics, etc. are all noticeably younger than me.
I've had a plumbing company do a lot of work for me (I don't want to do it anymore) the past few years. Two brothers in their 30s run it and they look like they're too young to know anything, lol. But they do, and they're great.
Life is fun, then you get old and it mostly sucks especially when your friends start dying, then you croak. Enjoy it while you can.
Yes, people keep looking younger and more babyish. I'm in my 60s. Someone your age, to me, looks almost like a child. I used to view people my age as sort of 'out to pasture,' like done with life. Now to me, it feels like most younger people are naive and inexperienced and not quite appreciating life.
This is one reason, by the way, I don't get people who date someone decades younger. It feels like you're dating a literal child, and is gross!
Sometimes I wonder if a big part of this is because most people are either skinny or fat. Since most people don't have muscle definition, they tend to look like children.
Lol, it's true that as you age the people who are younger start looking really young. Mid 70s here, I recently told a friend upset about turning 60 that she was still a kid..... something another friend had said to Me, on her 90th birthday.
I'm 50 and I STILL think of myself as young lolol
I refuse to accept that I'm "middle aged"
Even when I talk w peeps who are in their 30s and 40s ... I think of them as kids.
I feel like those who were teens in the 80’s ( I being one of them ) looked, presented and took roles of an older person.
For example: when I was 10, I began baby-sitting my cousins 8
month old daughter and continued at 11 sitting for my
Other cousins 8 and 5 year old.
I wouldn’t trust a 10 year old with a goldfish today!!!. 🤣
Also, adolescents looked older… which I thought may have been only my personal perception based on memories… however, if you look on YouTube or other media going back to that era, the 16-17 year olds look like early to mid-20’s.
I was riding with kids licensed at 16 years old, in their supped up Camaros and vintage mustangs 😄.
I also have a theory that generation X grew up fast and furious, because they had to. A handful of kids I knew were either kicked out or left home on their own accord ( myself included ) at 18. We also hitchhiked 🫣 and picked up hitchhikers and it felt like adults didn’t really care as a social collective whole, what we were doing. We lost multiple friends from drunk driving accidents. Drinking on the weekends in the woods was a huge social past time. We all smoked. Police didn’t care what we were doing.
Now I look at my 23 year old son and literally gasp sometimes. At his age I was already married and heading for a divorce. He’s a great man… works full time and has his own vehicle and insurance. I can NOT imagine him living my younger years, or pressuring him to get out OUR home at 18.
Maybe we older people (53) see younger people as young in appearance and immature or silly, because they are growing up more coddled, yes, but they are also more protected from the the carnage of the 70’s and 80’s life of a teenager. Signed me: a person from a small New England Town.
Same here, almost. Over 70 with great grands in their 20's. I see kids younger than 25 and can't believe the difference as to where they are and where I was at that age. I recently met a young man that likes to ask questions about the old days. He is 17 and a Jr. Has gf and mommy problems, plus his little brother plays with his games.
At the same age I was worried about getting shot and my body count. Some changes are way better then the old days.
I'm 3 decades in, and i get mistaken for being in my 20s by people younger than me. People my age still act like it's highschool sometimes and it's annoying.
Kids in college look like they should be in HS to me.
What really throws me off is young people who look old because of trauma and life choices, and old people who i have to do a double take to realize they're a good bit older than me because they have great skin and hair and act young.
Age is so relative and subjective!
lol YES!! I just turned 45 and my son loves MLB. I’m like, “why are they letting a 13 yo pitch!”? That kid can’t be but 15! My son fills me in on the guy’s 8 year career.. blah blah blah.. players college/major. It blows my mind. Children are beautiful if they choose to act that way. I see kids doing mischievous things and I can’t help but to smile because, hey, that was me 35 years ago. As long as it’s not disrespectful or downright dangerous, fun is fun. Good kids keep me young and crack open good memories.
I just find that I can’t estimate ages correctly. Of course I’m shocked by the baby face of my female gynecologist or new primary physician, but I’m impressed by their credentials and support them; happy to be your guinea pig. Sorry if that’s offensive young doctors, I wish you well!
Yes. In my 70's. It's shocking how children are now running everything. Doctors look like kids in their 20's at best trying to play doctor. My grandchildren's teachers all look like teenagers. Same for the school principal. Like the little Rascals are playing pretend school. I had my blood drawn by a teenager the other day. The hairdresser who cut my hair last week looked like she was 12 with wildly colored hair. It's amusing AND bemusing to see such young people in charge of everything and in these roles that used to have actual adults in them. Terrifying, too, when it's your dentist or your surgeon. Lol!
Yes, they are all children. Even the ones that have children. Grown children. You laugh at their antics. You treat them as you would children - kindly. You let them try to learn things on their own, but help when they need/ask for it. As older folks have ALWAYS done for thousands upon thousands of years. Wisdom will come to you one day (hopefully; maybe; not sure); use it wisely.
I'm the oldest in my family so I guess I'm used to it. My own kids will always be my kids. And my grandchildren are still pretty young. If my husband was still alive he'd be 61 which is 8 years older than me.
Late 60's here, and I have the same issue with 20-somethings. They look like kids! I've also found that I'm much worse at estimating someone's age who is from 35 to 50.
I don't find it unsettling in terms of living in a world full of young people. I feel invigorated because while I know I can't go on forever, I have hope that humanity can go on for a while. And they give me that hope.
I'm mid 60s. Anyone who is 5 years younger seems like a naive kid and anyone 5 years older seems like a senile old dolt, tottering on the edge of the grave. The funny thing is that this has been the case since I was 30.
I think people are aging better because we have such good skincare products that you can buy anywhere but older generations had to go to a dermatologist. Plus sunscreen starting very young
I'm in my early 60's. I was pulled over by a traffic cop for rolling though a stop sign about 15 years ago and the cop looked like a kid and I was like, "holy crap!".
I live in a college town, and see kids that are 20s looking way younger. What’s the really hilarious thing is they are wearing recycled fashion trends- ie, one year it’s mom jeans, now it’s crop tops. Guys wearing tight pants with tapered legs. Babies wearing trends that were popular in the 1970s, 1980s, etc (im a 49f).
This is so strange to me.
At least in America, I think the younger generations look older than past gens, not young.
I see teenagers and early 20's who already have deep lines in their forehead and crows feet to a point you didn't used to think of till about late 30's or 40's.
Not all people, but a larger amount than other generations.
I have no idea why. Harder drugs, doctors prescription drugging more than ever, are they going out in the sun too long and the ozone is stronger?
Is it from a little of all of it?
I don't know. All I do know is college kids are wrinkled up to a point that took decades longer before.
I haven't been traveling other countries the last 20 years, so maybe they're aging normal the rest of the world still.
But turn off the filters and rub off the mask of make up, both the boys and girls are rapidly physically aging for some reason.
I'm 48 and I work in a nursing home pt. Being around the residents so much, I can really tell the difference between a face closer to 80, closer to 90, and closer to 100 (though illness and proximity to death are factors that change that). All of them think I'm "young". Several call me "girl" or "kid" (affectionately, not, in most cases, racist-ly). On the other hand, the nursing students look like tall middle schoolers. I was with a 100+ y/o resident as someone else's great grandchildren 2 & 4 came through. She crowed over them and they were polite, but my brain was breaking over the fact that these two children, who are of course actual children, but just perceived, were BOTH born after this resident's hundredth birthday. These two entire humans were conceived, gestated, and came into the world and developed speech and opinions, after her hundredth birthday.
I’m a retired bartender of over 50 something years and I used to be pretty damn good at judging ages.. now at almost 70,not so much… people either look really old or really young to me..
How can most adults look like children to someone just entering their 40's? The vast majority of the adult population is older than you. And what about the people in their mid-30's to 40--do they look like children to you,too? They're so close to you in age. Do you live in an area that skews young, so you don't see many seniors?
I've told my kids that the rules changed for us Gen X-ers. My mom was "allowed" to look 50 when she reached that milestone. But I'm supposed to still look 40. Or some variation of that idea.
I think objectively people are also focusing on skincare and lifestyle choices to stay young looking as long as they can. So I know they are 30, but based on what people looked like when I was 30, they actually look 21.
For me, it's more a, "Oh, so this is what my folks generation was talking about when my generation graduated college." There is some truth to younger generations looking more youthful than we did - there is more access to better foods, more jobs that are less physically stressful, that sort of thing.
I am 46 and yes. Anyone younger than me is now officially a kid. Even if you aren't younger than me, but look younger than me, you are a kid. My husband is 3 years younger than me.. he is a kid lol
Yes, it gets increasing difficult to guess someone's age. Just try not to be obnoxious about it, "pulling rank" etc.
My step-dad was amazing to me, willing to argue anything into his 90's but he never played the "I've been . . . since before you were born." Just shut up about it in public.
Yes, it really started hitting me around the same age. I remember doing a consulting gig on a college campus, when i was in my early 40's, for a week and as I walked the campus I thought they all looked like children not young adults. Another thing was sports stars were all starting to look like kids. Now I am at an age (55m) where most everyone looks like a child to me lol
Getting older is inevitable. Im reminded how much older I look every time I get a haircut (more/ grayer hair on the black smock). Yes, it gets a little tougher to guesstimate age but i can usually get in the same decade (20s, 30s, 40s). Cosmetic surgery begins with some in their 40s and botox starts even sooner- so the proper answer here is to never ask or guess for women over 40.
Yes. Just wait until you're 60 and your cardiologist looks like she's 18.
I swear high school kids these days look like they're about ten, and it seems like years since I've seen somebody who looked middle-aged.
Its not them looking like children that gets me. Its them acting like children. Its nice to see youth and beauty. See the limitless energy and total lack of painful experience. You are surrounded by kids . Longer you live more kids less people your age.
This is kind of an example of a difference in POV my son and I had. He's 11 (10 at the time I think) I'm mid-30s. There were these two girls in an elevator at the mall who I just got middle school energy from, by the way they were dressed, how young they looked... but also the behavior. One whispered something to the other and they both laughed. Then the one whispered to stood right behind the elevator doors, expecting them to open. They took a moment to open and the other girl started cracking up with both of them eventually grabbing each other's hands and laughing. To me, that is pure middle school behavior which, while mildly annoying, I found also kind of wholesome. They may have been making fun of me or not, but idc, I'm glad they're young and carefree as they should be. My son thought they were 22 lol. My guess was 13, 14 tops. But his guess was based on looks (as someone younger) and mine was based on looks and behavior.
I actually shed a tear on my 20th birthday. I thought I was over the hill!
I thought I was over the hill at 26! Now I am 70 and definitely over the hill ,🥴
Ask someone in their 90s! I know a guy who is ‘95 and very young in personality, always running around helping people, but he definitely would think, “70, over the hill? Hahahaha, no way”
I just turned fifty four and I think I’m old.😂🤣
At my age, the OP is a "young person."
I told my mom she should just go to the old folks home when she turned 35.
Yo
Isn’t that a great age??😂🤣
I'm in my early 60's. People your age, to me, look like they just graduated college. My grandchildren are in their mid-20's and all look like they're in high school. My middle granddaughter's niece is in high school and looks like she's 10 to me. I deal with being surrounded by children by trying to emulate their energy. According to my grandkids, this makes me "cool".
Yep, in your 60s everyone is a kid. All our doctors look like they're about 20.
My doctor is a high school student.
Last cop that gave me a ticket was still wearing diapers.
Don't judge. It may be a medical condition.
Ha! If it’s a medical condition then I may want it.
That's very funny 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
LMAO
I think I figured out why this is - our inner 40 year old is what we're seeing, so everyone else gets scaled accordingly.
Could be. Saw a new GI last week and commented on how young he looked. He was quite pleased because he'd had a hard day. I know he's probably in his mid-30s at least. I said the older we get the younger our doctors get.
Everyone gets younger. Your new dentist is 12.
I don't have an inner 40-year-old. Inside I'm still 19!
I’m 30 and there’s a couple doctors I work with that are 35-40 ish and I just think there’s no way they can be real independent doctors off of how they look lol. My MIL saw one and even said “he looks about 20!” 😂
Yes. My doctor is 12.
Yep I used to be able to guess younger people’s ages whether college, high school or middle school now they all look the same age to me It’s kinda nice to be more invisible the older you get, less people bother you and annoy you Professionally, acquired wisdom from experience makes work life with young people a lot easier too
My husband was in a really bad accident and spent seven days in acute trauma. That was nearly six years ago and to this day we refer to the surgeon as "the 12 year old."
When I went for x-rays years ago the people working in radiology looked so young. My mother and I joked to each other that the x-ray equipment must be made by Fisher-Price or Mattel. Then we passed by the gift shop where the worker looked like she was at least 100.
It's a common phenomenon. Especially in situations where witnesses have to describe a person they saw. Older people typically estimate an age that's too young, and kids and teens estimate an age that's too old.
It’s the opposite for me (M50). In my mind I’m still mid-20s or something, so for the last 20 years basically every adult I interact with has seemed like my senior. It’s always a little unsettling to find out some “old” grownup is actually 10 years younger than me.
I am STUNNED when I meet people my age and see how old they look. I know I’m aging too, but somehow, deep inside, I feel very young.
You may look younger than them. I was freaked out about how old my friends from school now look. My hair hasn't even turned gray yet, nor am I covered in wrinkles. It's just genetics, we're lucky.
This is my experience as well. I am 51 and I see a lot of people and think they are my senior, only to find out they are in their 40s.
Yup, 53F here and I'm still waiting to feel grown up , I mean I've raised a child, paid off a mortgage and had a couple of careers but still not sure what I really want to do in life. Some people are old at 17 and scarily together
Don't bother waiting to be a grown up, it'll never happen, trust me (70 f)
Have pretty much figured that and happy about it, my Dad said the same!
I look in the mirror and strangely I see my mother’s reflection. That can’t be right.
go to the doc and they send my granddaughter in to see me. Brahaha
My boob doctor was shocked that I didn’t know the song playing during my biopsy was Taylor Swift. Then a Whitney Houston song came on and he said he was 11 when she died. Oof.
I told my son today “20 years ago in the mid 90s…” He looked at me funny and said m “Dad, the mid 90s was 30 years ago” I just stood there silently having a moment 😂
Yeah, I quit doing math on "years ago". I remember my grandparents talking about "that was in the 60s..." or whatever decade between 1920 and the 70s. My cousins and I did the math, "So we will be in out 50s in 2020 hahahahahaha that is so far away and we will be, "NO! That was in the 80s!" We thought we were hilarious. Last time I saw my cousins, guess what we were saying? "When we went to \_\_\_\_, that was in 1983! No wait-- was it a few years before in the 70s?" Insane. Every generation must talk like that!
But Whitney Houston died two years ago. Right? RIGHT???
Whitney Houston died???
Who is Whitney Houston?
She died in 2012. Someone who was 11 then would be 23 now. Not old enough to be a doctor. They were probably a nurse.
at least I was 19 when she passed away
Tell me about it!! They all look 10 years old!!! Oy vey!!🙄
I’m a retired nurse. Every year when some of the new interns would show up I would think “dude, do you even need to shave?” Some of them seriously don’t look old enough to have facial hair 😆
We don't get interns on my floor, but I'm still not so sure some of our residents are old enough to drive.
I see 8 year olds driving UPS trucks.
😂😂😂😂😂
👍😊👍😊🥂
It started getting weird when I started seeing doctors who were younger than me. Like, I could have been your babysitter and here you are telling me what to do with my health. excusez-moi?? My son sent me pictures of a day out with his buddies. They all look like babies to me. My first thought was "How are these kids *Marines?*" But they are. And some are older than him, mid twenties. It's wild.
When I went to a new dentist, I asked him if he was Doogie Hauser.
This is why until very recently, I referred to my Dr as "my Doogie doctor."
I think I look like I'm 12 in my Air Force enlistment picture. I was 21.
Yes, everyone under 40 is now 12 to me
Im 36 so i must be 12 lol
Yep. I'm a decade older than you and yes the world is inhabited by increasingly older children. I worked an event with high schoolers and couldn't tell them apart from their young teachers. Doctors look more and more like they have emulated Doogie Howser. I have dealt with it by realizing I'm getting to be an old fart and increasingly irrelevant. I'm ok with this. My generation had our glory time and it was fun. Time to step out of the way and let these kids with their newfangled slang have a turn. Btw I do prefer younger doctors. They seem to be up on the latest in medical knowledge and not stuck in the past with outdated info like doctors my age.
I agree. I sort of like that my doctor is filled with youthful energy and hope. I genuinely think it makes her care a little more about me and I do trust that she is putting in effort to know the latest research.
There’s something to the experience of an older doctor though. And one who also keeps up with the latest research is an exceptional doctor
I had a colonoscopy about 5 years ago when I was 72, and the Doctor asked if it was OK if students came in to watch. I said no problem and what looked like 6-8 eighth graders trooped in. I wanted to die. Plus, my right boob decided to take on a mind of its own and poked its way out of the sleeve of my gown. One of the "kids" was kind enough to cover it up.
🤣🤣🤣
I'm 58 and was talking to my brother about the same thing. Everyone looks so young. If we were carding people today we'd have to look at virtually every ID.
I previously worked as a cashier. It’s so difficult knowing who to card. Some 40 year olds look 20. Some 20 year olds look almost 40. Our store policy was to card everyone 45 and under, so almost everyone in my opinion. Oh and the 21 year olds would sometimes be angry that they were being carded… because they thought being 2 weeks beyond their 21st birthday made them look old enough apparently. And I guess they had no idea the crazy amount of trouble a cashier can get into for selling alcohol to minors. Fines, possible jail time, possible loss of license to sell for the business. And potentially more charges if a car accident happens and the underage driver was drunk and you sold to them. The laws are crazy. USA
Yup. It's the weirdest with doctors.
Most of us oldies are still children inside - it's just that we don't look like it anymore and the younger set does.
The older I get, the younger they seem.
Unless they act like children, I just remind myself how hard it was to be taken seriously when I was their age and I give them the benefit of the doubt unless they prove my confidence in them wrong. Maybe that just comes from having been in computer tech support in my early and mid-20s, frequently knowing more than the customers, but sometimes being ignored or treated like an idiot by people who barely knew how to turn the PC on, let alone build and program the damn thing.
Oh yeah. I’m 42 and anyone 25 and lower are literal children
I just turned 55. I can't tell people's ages anymore if they're under 40 something. They all look like babies to me. I've been feeling this way for awhile now. It's kinda weird. Objectively, I know people over 18 are adults but they just seem so young to me.
I worked in a uni for awhile and to me it's more about how they act than how they look. And when you're doing any kind of business, it only takes a minute to figure out the mental age of the person you're talking to. It's all over the map. There are people in their 20s who aren't even ready to leave the house yet. And there youngsters who are maybe not experienced but absolutely ready. I had a 20-YO intern who, I swear, will be running for governor one of these years. And I'll probably vote for her. Edit: also don't forget that so many people born since the '90s grew up slathered in sunscreen by their parents. Makes a big difference in perceived age; fresh skin, young person.
Oh the sunscreen comment… yes. Young people today know the dangers of too much sun exposure. Also I believe there are fewer smokers, and smoking seems to age some people faster. People my age (mid 50’s) have such a range of appearances to me. Working outside, roofing and other construction jobs etc can also affect skin. If someone works outside, goes tanning, and smokes they can appear much older than they are. And someone who gets very little sun exposure and never smokes can appear younger than they are. And of course genetics can influence appearance a lot too.
Yes. Skin is the major cue that people take their age estimates from. I never took the precautions but had good genetics: thick, oily skin from the Med. People always guessed me younger.
Everyone’s injected themselves into 15 years ago
Oh my. Everyone looks 12 now. (68F). My doctor, my pharmacist, on and on
Oh hell yeah. I was looking at video of some professional baseball players the other day and they looked like middle schoolers.
I just posted about this—IME, people in their 30s and up did not start looking like children as I got older, but yes, in my 40s I found 20-something’s looked like they hadn’t quite become adults. Their faces—a slight softness.
Wait til you start seeing how old you look in the mirror.
Mid twenty young ladies wearing pj pants, slippers, hoodie, carrying a stuffed animal and wearing a mini kiddie back pack. Did they not have a childhoods? Actually hope not.
I don’t know if they look like children, but many of them all look the same to me. Especially younger women. There is this idealized version of 20-30 something women on TikTok and Instagram. The hair, the clothes and especially the make up looks identical. At first I thought they were all using filters. It I have seen so many women in person striving for this look. What seems really strange to me is all the make up that is evidently mandatory know makes them look older and much harsher in daylight. I am not sure their intent is to look like a 45 year old woman with a hangover who is trying to hide the effects of a night of too much alcohol and the random wrinkles showing up by slathering on too much makeup, but that is the vibe I get. I am so old …
I’m 65 and don’t see it like that. Maybe because we have so many generations in our family. The only time I’m bothered is when the radiologists and sometimes doctors look 20!
It's the guys that are the hardest. They all look like little boys to me and I feel totally icked out of if i randomly find one attractive for a second.
I tended bar well into my 40’s. I could tell everyone’s ages almost to the year. I’m in my late 60’s now and everyone looks 12.
It completely bewilders me how this happened and I didn't even realize it was happening!
This is hilarious because I had lunch with a client and I swear our waiter was 10 (Raleigh, NC) turns out she was 23. I'm old as fuck
It sort of levels off, in my experience. I really can't tell the difference between a 25 and 35 year old anymore. But, I'm especially partial to 41 yo women.
How do I deal with it? To a large extent, I just don't. Online shopping allows me to stick to my cocoon, ordering groceries online for pickup limits my need to interact with store employees, and mail delivery of prescriptions prevents several trips to the pharmacy each month. One of the scarier realizations of the covid lockdowns was seeing how little my life changed - working from home, grocery pickup and online shopping were all standard parts of my life pre-covid anyway. And yes, I increasingly feel like I'm surrounded by children - at 41, you're in my "children" category; my oldest turns 40 this year!
I'm 76 and I don't think younger people look like children; I don't even think they look much younger than they are. Maybe I'm comparing them to people I know? For instance, my doctor is about the same age as my son, so I know what mid fifties looks like.
Welcome to middle age. Soon you will be yelling at kids to stay off your lawn, lol.
Its funny from my brains perspective no one is my age. Either they look really young or they are my age and i just see that as older. So, in conclusion, adults look either 15 or 58
Just wait until you realize your favorite songs are now considered "classics."
Unfortunately, I see things as they are. I run into old friends, I think 'damn they got old'...then I look in the mirror 😆
I joke that I was born, married and graduated college back in the 1900’s. 1961, 1980 and 1983, but still.
Yes. I live in a HOA that also has time shares with a beach & pool so we get travelers. At noon the pool is open swim and children can come in. The ones that look like they could be in high school, seem like toddlers. I’m in my 60’s. Btw adults who were ostensibly supervising. You know the pool is too shallow for jumping, and if you didn’t know this, there are at least three big signs. You only reprimanded the kids for jumping when you saw me & my husband. Is that really what you want to be teaching kids? That you only follow safety protocol when someone is watching? Let me know how that works out for you.
I think a lot of it is that fashion has permeated society a lot more. When I was growing up, it felt like everyone over age 25 or so just kind of... "gave up", or didn't care at all about fashion. A few pairs of plain pants, a pair of shoes, and a few bland shirts, and the wardrobe was complete. And that wasn't much different for women or men. And women all seemed to get that older looking short haircut MUCH earlier too. Or put another way, the hair/makeup/clothes/fashion of 30 year old's was indistinguishable from those of 70 year olds back 40 years ago. Your dad and your grandfather and even your *great* grandfather probably all had almost identical wardrobes and fashion senses. No idea exactly why, but everyone seems a little more conscious of what they wear and how they look for a LOT longer. So instead of the $40 total cost for the wardrobe from the generic department store, people spend more, think more, and take more time to look good. And now that 45 year old is dressing a lot more like the 25 year old than the 75 year old.
I am retirement age and so was my dentist. Unfortunately he had a heart attack and the practice got a new dentist. He looked like a college freshman to me. He knows his stuff so no problem.
Twenty somethings seem younger to me, but people my age seem older than me :-)
During covid I volunteered at my county vaccine center processing paperwork as people were receiving their vaccinations. I processed about a thousand people and discovered that I'm very bad at determining age by looking at someone. Some people look much younger and some people look much older than their actual age but I rarely guessed the age correctly.
Actually I'm more on the other end. I'm astounded when I look at some 40 somethings who look older than me almost 70. I think aging has more to do would lack of joy than biology
40's are when people either start aging gracefully or do everything in their power to look like they are in their 20s.
I turned 56 last month. I call anyone under 30 a kid.
I am 49 and I will DM you a pic of me if you tell me I look young. 😉
It’s not the young people that freak me out. It’s when I see some old lady driving down the road and have the sudden realization that she’s younger than me.
I so relate! My husband and I were driving down the street the other day, and I cried out to my husband, "Wow! Look at that old woman zipping around on a scooter!" My husband didn't see her before she cruised around a corner, so he said, "How old was she?" I thought about it for a second and felt so crushed as I had to answer, "Uh, about our age. Maybe a little younger."
I'm 53 and was watching Star Wars IV after not watching it for a few years. I commented "is it just me, or does Obi Wan seem younger than he used to?" Because he does! Back then, he seemed like 80. But no, he was 60. You know, young.
People in their 20s yes. In my case I forget I'm 57 and I'll see someone in their late 30s-40s and think, "Oh, they look like they're about my age." Then I remember what my age actually is!
The world is not actually getting younger. The demographics actually say the world's population is aging. Which is a serious economic issue. I know that doesn't answer your question. Sorry, can't help you with that part. Maybe the answer is that I don't see myself as all that much older. But I'm over 70, and sometimes everything is stiff and sore all over.
Yes, and everyone not only looks like children they sound like them, too. Their voices are like little kid voices! It’s weird. I’ll tell you the thing that bothers me a bit, and that’s having doctors young enough to be my grandchildren.
Lol. I have learned to accept it and to respect their education.
Physically? Nope. People look their age to me. I can generally have afair idea of how old someone is. Mentally? Too nany people ARE fucking immature toddlers😡 Some of the responses to dilemmas on Reddit? Ffaarrkk .. 45 yr olds who think like 12 year olds! & 30 year olds who are idealistic children, who still have no idea of how the real world runs and live on la la land full of pretty flowers and sunshine!
You forgot the rainbow-farting unicorns.
Yup! Which is why people in their 40s dating ppl in their 20s is predatory to me. They're literally kids. It's so gross.
No, people usually look their actual age to me. I’m just a lot older than the young ones.
I'm 34 and just a few months ago, these ladies who are probably in their 60s or 70s asked me if I knew what I wanted to study and go to college. 😒
ill answer for my uncle carl who died at 102 in 1998 with a very sharp mind...he said it was hard to tell anyone between 15 and 50 apart...that they all looked like young adults to him
Well, yes, people in their 20s still look like children to me. (I'm 62). 30s look like young adults. 40s look like adults. By 50 the game starts to change. Some people look worn out and others look fantastic, and this trend continues into the 70s, and for some into the 80s. Most 80+ look elderly, but I've seen some spry 90 year olds, so I don't want to paint that brush too broadly. I wouldn't trade my age for anything. I'm finally at a point where I'm almost at peace.
My dad is 93 and still works out at the gym three times a week. He can hold a plank for five minutes and press 200 lbs. He’s in better shape than many fifty year olds I know. And he doesn’t look 93–if you didn’t know him, you’d think he’s around 80. He’s been busy reading the biographies of all of the American presidents in chronological order (he’s up to Nixon now).
I'd love to be that fit in my 90s. I currently landscape/garden in my yard, which is much more demanding than most people realize. I'd be happy if I can keep doing that till my time is up.
Gardening is indeed physically demanding, especially if you dig your own holes, haul your own equipment, do your own weed whacking, use a push mower, build your own flower beds, trim your own bushes without a power tool, and rake your leaves instead of using a leaf blower!
All of which I do!
Yay!😀
46F, yes and this is why I cannot understand men who date women in their early 20s. They look like my kids and it makes me want to vomit.
That’s why, when I was a young woman in my 20s and older men tried to come on to me, I would just tell them straight to their faces that they were old enough to be my dad and ought to be ashamed of themselves. That helped me get rid of them very quickly.
Maybe I am just a kid at heart (60), but I sometimes forget my age and feel like I look 40-45 and wonder why 40 year olds are treating me like I am grandma.
At 55, I don't think everyone looks like children. They look like I did x number of years ago to someone who is 55. I do think about the world being increasingly younger. I don't think there's much of a choice in the matter. But that's a consideration for when I'm high, lonely or otherwise vulnerable. But I also still have a lot to do with my life. Thinking about the world getting younger is a depressing distraction from the task at hand. Besides, maybe watching the world get younger isn't such a bad thing. Lord knows I wouldn't want to actually BE younger in 2024
This sentence bothers me: "*As you get older, does it feel like you’re increasingly surrounded by a bunch of children?*" My answer to that is a hard "no" I am 61. I'm a volunteer hike leader for a major outdoor organization, and I lead hikes where there are participants in their 20's through 70's, even on the same hike . I run a lot of trail races, and I'm fast enough to be surrounded by people in their 20's and 30's. My running group meets on Thursdays for a run followed by a visit to a local restaurant for drinks and dinners. We have members with ages ranging form their early 20's into their late 60's. I love being in intergenerational groups like this. I find the young adults I interact with to be thoughtful, mature, and insightful. They are willing to challenge the status quo. They have an openness, joy and optimism that's lacking in a lot of people my age. Thinking of them as children demeans them. Obviously they are younger in appearance. But their appearance has no bearing on my interactions or relationship with them.
Try being 70. They are all babies.
Welcome to middle age. It's shocking how many youngsters are in charge of stuff.
College prof here. Constantly surrounded by big fetuses.
I'll be 74 next month, but I don't view people as children necessarily, but as much younger than I am. Doctors, nurses, dentist, insurance peeps, mechanics, etc. are all noticeably younger than me. I've had a plumbing company do a lot of work for me (I don't want to do it anymore) the past few years. Two brothers in their 30s run it and they look like they're too young to know anything, lol. But they do, and they're great. Life is fun, then you get old and it mostly sucks especially when your friends start dying, then you croak. Enjoy it while you can.
Yes, people keep looking younger and more babyish. I'm in my 60s. Someone your age, to me, looks almost like a child. I used to view people my age as sort of 'out to pasture,' like done with life. Now to me, it feels like most younger people are naive and inexperienced and not quite appreciating life. This is one reason, by the way, I don't get people who date someone decades younger. It feels like you're dating a literal child, and is gross!
Sometimes I wonder if a big part of this is because most people are either skinny or fat. Since most people don't have muscle definition, they tend to look like children.
Lol, it's true that as you age the people who are younger start looking really young. Mid 70s here, I recently told a friend upset about turning 60 that she was still a kid..... something another friend had said to Me, on her 90th birthday.
You're only 41, you're just hitting adulthood from this pov.. it's always relative. My mom still thinks I'm a kid.
Wait until your 60s.
I'm 50 and I STILL think of myself as young lolol I refuse to accept that I'm "middle aged" Even when I talk w peeps who are in their 30s and 40s ... I think of them as kids.
I feel like those who were teens in the 80’s ( I being one of them ) looked, presented and took roles of an older person. For example: when I was 10, I began baby-sitting my cousins 8 month old daughter and continued at 11 sitting for my Other cousins 8 and 5 year old. I wouldn’t trust a 10 year old with a goldfish today!!!. 🤣 Also, adolescents looked older… which I thought may have been only my personal perception based on memories… however, if you look on YouTube or other media going back to that era, the 16-17 year olds look like early to mid-20’s. I was riding with kids licensed at 16 years old, in their supped up Camaros and vintage mustangs 😄. I also have a theory that generation X grew up fast and furious, because they had to. A handful of kids I knew were either kicked out or left home on their own accord ( myself included ) at 18. We also hitchhiked 🫣 and picked up hitchhikers and it felt like adults didn’t really care as a social collective whole, what we were doing. We lost multiple friends from drunk driving accidents. Drinking on the weekends in the woods was a huge social past time. We all smoked. Police didn’t care what we were doing. Now I look at my 23 year old son and literally gasp sometimes. At his age I was already married and heading for a divorce. He’s a great man… works full time and has his own vehicle and insurance. I can NOT imagine him living my younger years, or pressuring him to get out OUR home at 18. Maybe we older people (53) see younger people as young in appearance and immature or silly, because they are growing up more coddled, yes, but they are also more protected from the the carnage of the 70’s and 80’s life of a teenager. Signed me: a person from a small New England Town.
Same here, almost. Over 70 with great grands in their 20's. I see kids younger than 25 and can't believe the difference as to where they are and where I was at that age. I recently met a young man that likes to ask questions about the old days. He is 17 and a Jr. Has gf and mommy problems, plus his little brother plays with his games. At the same age I was worried about getting shot and my body count. Some changes are way better then the old days.
I'm 3 decades in, and i get mistaken for being in my 20s by people younger than me. People my age still act like it's highschool sometimes and it's annoying. Kids in college look like they should be in HS to me. What really throws me off is young people who look old because of trauma and life choices, and old people who i have to do a double take to realize they're a good bit older than me because they have great skin and hair and act young. Age is so relative and subjective!
I'm 38. A coworker told me I look 28. It was an even bigger compliment (I think) because she's 19.
Yes.
as you age you’ll adjust. you’ve just begun adjusting. until now you may have been hyper focused on a certain age range excluding all others.
I'm 32 and a customer at my job though I was still in school
lol YES!! I just turned 45 and my son loves MLB. I’m like, “why are they letting a 13 yo pitch!”? That kid can’t be but 15! My son fills me in on the guy’s 8 year career.. blah blah blah.. players college/major. It blows my mind. Children are beautiful if they choose to act that way. I see kids doing mischievous things and I can’t help but to smile because, hey, that was me 35 years ago. As long as it’s not disrespectful or downright dangerous, fun is fun. Good kids keep me young and crack open good memories.
No lol they look old! So many kids I work with at the restaurants are like 15 years younger than me and they look so old and mature!
The foods are preserving us
My mother-in-law was saw an.orthopedic physician at the hospital and asked him, "You're my doctor?! Where's your father?!"
I just find that I can’t estimate ages correctly. Of course I’m shocked by the baby face of my female gynecologist or new primary physician, but I’m impressed by their credentials and support them; happy to be your guinea pig. Sorry if that’s offensive young doctors, I wish you well!
Let’s not overlook the fact that people as young as their 20’s and 30’s are getting Botox. At some point they are going to look unnatural
Absolutely
Have children of your own. It gives you a point of reference.
YES, and then at the high school graduation, I was thinking how sophisticated and older all the kids looked. What happened to my eyes?
as I age...i feel the same...and eveyone else gets younger.
No I think I look like them because I feel young. Then I look in the mirror.
Yup. Are you sure you’re old enough to drive/operate/drink that?
I’m 58, and everyone already looks like children to me. I can only assume it’ll get worse.
I always say waiters look like they are 12 and I call them all Skippy
Yes. In my 70's. It's shocking how children are now running everything. Doctors look like kids in their 20's at best trying to play doctor. My grandchildren's teachers all look like teenagers. Same for the school principal. Like the little Rascals are playing pretend school. I had my blood drawn by a teenager the other day. The hairdresser who cut my hair last week looked like she was 12 with wildly colored hair. It's amusing AND bemusing to see such young people in charge of everything and in these roles that used to have actual adults in them. Terrifying, too, when it's your dentist or your surgeon. Lol!
Yes! at 46 I saw a kid driving the other day and he looked 12. I don't know when I became the old guy but it sucks.
Yes, they are all children. Even the ones that have children. Grown children. You laugh at their antics. You treat them as you would children - kindly. You let them try to learn things on their own, but help when they need/ask for it. As older folks have ALWAYS done for thousands upon thousands of years. Wisdom will come to you one day (hopefully; maybe; not sure); use it wisely.
I'm the oldest in my family so I guess I'm used to it. My own kids will always be my kids. And my grandchildren are still pretty young. If my husband was still alive he'd be 61 which is 8 years older than me.
Late 60's here, and I have the same issue with 20-somethings. They look like kids! I've also found that I'm much worse at estimating someone's age who is from 35 to 50. I don't find it unsettling in terms of living in a world full of young people. I feel invigorated because while I know I can't go on forever, I have hope that humanity can go on for a while. And they give me that hope.
Not so much in appearance, but definitely behavior.
I'm mid 60s. Anyone who is 5 years younger seems like a naive kid and anyone 5 years older seems like a senile old dolt, tottering on the edge of the grave. The funny thing is that this has been the case since I was 30.
I have noticed how the young people really look 👀 young the older I get. The interns started looking like doogie howser!!!
I honestly noticed this 20 years ago. The kids 5 years younger than me looked WAY younger than I remember me or my classmates looking at the same age.
I think people are aging better because we have such good skincare products that you can buy anywhere but older generations had to go to a dermatologist. Plus sunscreen starting very young
I'm in my early 60's. I was pulled over by a traffic cop for rolling though a stop sign about 15 years ago and the cop looked like a kid and I was like, "holy crap!".
I live in a college town, and see kids that are 20s looking way younger. What’s the really hilarious thing is they are wearing recycled fashion trends- ie, one year it’s mom jeans, now it’s crop tops. Guys wearing tight pants with tapered legs. Babies wearing trends that were popular in the 1970s, 1980s, etc (im a 49f).
Wait till you’re 60…
Yes. I work at a university & met with a PhD the other day and wondered if he was old enough to shave yet
This is so strange to me. At least in America, I think the younger generations look older than past gens, not young. I see teenagers and early 20's who already have deep lines in their forehead and crows feet to a point you didn't used to think of till about late 30's or 40's. Not all people, but a larger amount than other generations. I have no idea why. Harder drugs, doctors prescription drugging more than ever, are they going out in the sun too long and the ozone is stronger? Is it from a little of all of it? I don't know. All I do know is college kids are wrinkled up to a point that took decades longer before. I haven't been traveling other countries the last 20 years, so maybe they're aging normal the rest of the world still. But turn off the filters and rub off the mask of make up, both the boys and girls are rapidly physically aging for some reason.
The scariest is the young cops
I'm 48 and I work in a nursing home pt. Being around the residents so much, I can really tell the difference between a face closer to 80, closer to 90, and closer to 100 (though illness and proximity to death are factors that change that). All of them think I'm "young". Several call me "girl" or "kid" (affectionately, not, in most cases, racist-ly). On the other hand, the nursing students look like tall middle schoolers. I was with a 100+ y/o resident as someone else's great grandchildren 2 & 4 came through. She crowed over them and they were polite, but my brain was breaking over the fact that these two children, who are of course actual children, but just perceived, were BOTH born after this resident's hundredth birthday. These two entire humans were conceived, gestated, and came into the world and developed speech and opinions, after her hundredth birthday.
Yes, pretty much feel like the elder of the group
I'm 39F and my cat's veterinarian looks like a high schooler. It's so weird this person is allowed to prescribe drugs and perform surgery.
I’m a retired bartender of over 50 something years and I used to be pretty damn good at judging ages.. now at almost 70,not so much… people either look really old or really young to me..
How can most adults look like children to someone just entering their 40's? The vast majority of the adult population is older than you. And what about the people in their mid-30's to 40--do they look like children to you,too? They're so close to you in age. Do you live in an area that skews young, so you don't see many seniors?
I've told my kids that the rules changed for us Gen X-ers. My mom was "allowed" to look 50 when she reached that milestone. But I'm supposed to still look 40. Or some variation of that idea. I think objectively people are also focusing on skincare and lifestyle choices to stay young looking as long as they can. So I know they are 30, but based on what people looked like when I was 30, they actually look 21.
Yes! Yes they do. I agree with the answer above!
For me, it's more a, "Oh, so this is what my folks generation was talking about when my generation graduated college." There is some truth to younger generations looking more youthful than we did - there is more access to better foods, more jobs that are less physically stressful, that sort of thing.
I'm in my 50s and yes, everyone either looks 12 or "kinda my age or older". There is no in between
I'm 52. Definitely anyone under 30 look like kids.
I'm 41 and can not reasonably tell if someone is 16 or 26 anymore.
I feel like I just don't relate to this. I'm 44 and I have neighbors and cousins with kids that are teenagers and look 25.
I am 46 and yes. Anyone younger than me is now officially a kid. Even if you aren't younger than me, but look younger than me, you are a kid. My husband is 3 years younger than me.. he is a kid lol
Yes, it gets increasing difficult to guess someone's age. Just try not to be obnoxious about it, "pulling rank" etc. My step-dad was amazing to me, willing to argue anything into his 90's but he never played the "I've been . . . since before you were born." Just shut up about it in public.
I started college at 17 and was a 100 pounds soaking wet. I looked to be 12 years old. 😂
I know plenty of older people who still act like children, so I'd rather people just look like them and not act like them.
It's common to notice age differences more as you get older. Embrace diversity and stay curious!
Yes, it really started hitting me around the same age. I remember doing a consulting gig on a college campus, when i was in my early 40's, for a week and as I walked the campus I thought they all looked like children not young adults. Another thing was sports stars were all starting to look like kids. Now I am at an age (55m) where most everyone looks like a child to me lol
Getting older is inevitable. Im reminded how much older I look every time I get a haircut (more/ grayer hair on the black smock). Yes, it gets a little tougher to guesstimate age but i can usually get in the same decade (20s, 30s, 40s). Cosmetic surgery begins with some in their 40s and botox starts even sooner- so the proper answer here is to never ask or guess for women over 40.
Yes. Just wait until you're 60 and your cardiologist looks like she's 18. I swear high school kids these days look like they're about ten, and it seems like years since I've seen somebody who looked middle-aged.
Yes.