When did you first feel really old?

[Mycuppatea]

When I realised I had become invisible. It is actually very liberating. Nobody notices me anymore and I am free.

 

[Pixipoppy]

I’m 31 and in my head I’m still 21. At work in my office there’s a lot of new graduates who are 22/23ish and I always just assume I’m “one of them”... I don’t feel like I belong with the 30 somethings who are all married with kids. It’s slowly dawning on me that I’m that annoying woman who thinks she’s down with the kids and tries to hang out with them all the time. I think I’m one of them, they probably see me as a colleague but not a peer

oh and also when I realised that kids going to uni this year were BORN in like 2002.... I started my period in 2002

 

[NitrousOxide]

I'd never noticed so many young people until this Summer during lockdown. They are EVERYWHERE, big groups of them. That made me feel really old and uncool. I'm 32, I think. (Also around last year I started forgetting my age haha).

 

[TravellingPants]

I’m 30 and have definitely had a mini-crisis about it! I quite frequently skip an entire decade in remembering things, like thinking 2005 is more like five years ago than FIFTEEN!

I vividly remember arranging an assessment centre for apprentice roles a few years ago and the first time we hired someone with a DOB of 2000 I had to take a little minute

 

[Gembo]

When my parents died. They have both died during my 30s. I felt a change after that.

I've mentioned on tattle before that people seem to think I look younger than my age and I feel much older than they think I look .
Obviously the 'you are as old as you feel ' only applies to young at heart geriatrics
Yes , I am old enough to have a teenager.

Sometimes, it surprises me how long ago thinks were that I think of as recently, like new songs that came out 20 years ago .

My parents both died in the past year and a bit, quite close together and I think that is a really pivotal moment. I think about what they were doing at my age and how if I die at the same age as them I only have another 32 years. And it makes life seem incredibly short, seeing the end of their lives makes me feel like I can now see the end of mine. It’s without a doubt made me feel older and think more deeply about time and age etc.

 

[Kmt2019]

Felt old when they stopped ID’ing me for alcohol at the checkout. Think this was my late 20’s, but the realisation that I thought I didn’t look any different to when I was younger, and to suddenly realising I obviously do look different and wondering what had changed.

I also always wonder when I’m actually old, what will my generation look like in general. For example, most old ladies who are 80/90 have short hair/ permed hair. Most have similar style old fashioned clothes . But when I’m old, will I still be dressing the same as I do now? Jeans, trainers etc. Or will I suddenly be wearing something different. Or will jeans and trainers be the new ‘old fashioned’. And will I suddenly want short hair?!

 

[Trolleydollycoffeelover]

My first ‘old’ feeling was when I was about 23 believe it or not in the doctors when they asked me if I have any children- in my head I was still a child myself!
in work when people talk about ‘when they were a kid and had their first smartphone in school’ - I was 25 when the iphone came out.
A girl (born 1996) asked me ‘who are Spice Girls again, is that the one with David Beckham’s wife in’
Talking about travel and holidays- youngsters have only ever used or can remember the Euro so they get confused when I said pesetas, deutschmarks etc. Also when they weren’t aware of the fact that before 2006 we didn’t have the 100ml liquid rule on planes!
Oh and trawling through Facebook when I see classmates becoming grandparents in late 30s!

How could I forget- seeing my beloved Take That in an oldies/gold/classic compilation.

 

[Gembo]

I’m only in my 30’s and starting to feel old and it’s really depressing me. I kind of still feel young in my head but only yesterday I had the thought that in a few years I won’t be able to have children. Not that I want them but it feels quite significant to go past that point. I can’t believe I can say I’ve been friends with someone for over 20 years, I can’t believe some of the songs I still listen to and feel are current are 20 years old celebrities I watched on TV growing up are now in their 50’s and 60’s. Ugh!

 

[watermelon sugar]

About 10 minutes ago i seen a post on Facebook saying 'when you were younger and you used to think the over 25s category on X Factor were dead old. And now you are over 25' that made me feel old

 

[Definitelyme]

Oh and people used to be shocked when I told them I had kids and said I looked too young. But I realised a while ago nobody has said that in quite a while

Lastly, when I found out a girl I used to teach when she was 11 is now a teacher herself. Pass the zimmer.

 

[Peachy9]

I've started to struggle to get back up again. I seem to make lots of 'ooh' and 'errghh' noises when doing so. Never used to happen, and I remember my parents doing it and I always said I wouldnt be like that.
Good incentive to get back to pilates though.

 

[Fenella]

Having a teenager has made me feel quite old generally but
things creep up on me.

this week I watched the video of those teenagers listening to Phil Collins for thé first time and then went to their YouTube channel and saw the video of one of them listening to Dream On by Aerosmith. I kept waiting for him to reference the Eminem song with the sample as something he’d recognise the song from.

then I googled and realised that in itself was bloody 18 years old and not in any way a modern song

i also only know the songs on the ‘rétro’ bit of now albums, haven’t known a proper song on it for quite a few releases now- I always swore I’d never be out of touch music wise like my mum!

 

[Mememememe]

When I turned 30.
I don't feel grown up enough to be 30 and I was so scared at just how fast my life flew by and knowing that as I get older it will go quicker.
I don't feel mature or wise enough to be in my 30s, I should, I have children a home a job etc
I think it's because I had my children in my early 20s. I missed out on my 20s.just plodding along trying to survive. Not doing anything for my self. Not achieving anything other than being a mother. Didn't go anywhere. Didn't meet new people. Didn't experience anything outside of my family home.
I know things will change as I get older and I can start getting MY life back.
It just feels like one day I was 20 with my life ahead of me. Next minute I'm 30 with kids and I've not done anything.

 

[karmadrama]

After I turned 30 I just felt really old, I’m now 35 and try not to think about it too much. Getting old scares me. I think it’s because death scares me and we’re always one day closer.
At the same time though, as I get older I kind of like the person I’m becoming. I used to be quite an angry person, very insecure and extremely self conscious to the point I couldn’t even go out in public without feeling anxious. As I’ve gotten older I’ve calmed right down and for the most part I’m genuinely happy.
I agree with someone above who said they think of 2005 as like 5 years ago. It scares me when I realise how long ago those days actually were

 

[SqualorVictoria]

Tell me your secrets! I’m starting to feel so old in my late 30’s I’ve become like a little old lady who reminisces about the good old days’ of the 80’s and 90’s. Oddly growing up and even in my 20’s I really believed I would never age, I just didn’t believe it would happen, I reasoned that I looked in the mirror every day and nothing changed and as long as I looked in a mirror every day I would never get wrinkles. It made total sense to me. I was wrong!

I don't remember the 80s but I always talk about how great the 90s are and I will never stop. The greatest decade, bar none!

For me it's part psychological and part physical- I try to look after myself as best as I can with eating well and so on and psychologically I don't allow myself to feel old. If I think back to an experience in the 90s for instance, I don't think "wow I can't believe that was x years ago, I feel so old". I'll look back with fondness and think to myself I was so lucky to have had that experience in the best decade ever

Also my 20s were a mess, my self esteem was in the toilet, I constantly got with unsuitable men, wasn't happy. Much happier and confident in myself nowadays

Hope that doesn't sound preachy!

 

[UnknownTattler]

The first time I felt old was when I had just turned 16 and I got my National Insurance card with a letter saying 'it's never too early to start saving for your pension'

The most recent time was a couple of weeks ago when I saw a Twitter thread about young teens thinking Taylor Swift's Love Story was 'a new TikTok song' instead of an old song that was released 11 years ago actually TikTok in general makes me feel really old

 

[Kim Mild]

When my parents died. They have both died during my 30s. I felt a change after that.

I've mentioned on tattle before that people seem to think I look younger than my age and I feel much older than they think I look .
Obviously the 'you are as old as you feel ' only applies to young at heart geriatrics
Yes , I am old enough to have a teenager.

Sometimes, it surprises me how long ago thinks were that I think of as recently, like new songs that came out 20 years ago .

 

[Trolleydollycoffeelover]

I realised that nobody ‘has a single out’ anymore and it’s all downloads or streaming oh and I feel so old as I refer to TV shows by asking what channel it’s on and the youngsters look at me and tell me Netflix!
Don’t get me started on Friends being described as retro either

 

[SqualorVictoria]

Late 30s and don't feel "old"- it is surprising to me how many people feel old so young. You couldn't pay me to go back to my 20s, I much prefer the 30s, so maybe that helps

 

[Dexy]

Seeing pop stars who would have been my contemporaries, looking their age in their 50s or 60s. Also my mum is in a care home with dementia and she was only 23 when she had me. Decades fly by.

Definitely this. Loosing pop stars I loved in my teens. I’m 40 so grew up in the 90’s but I consider George Michael, Prince, Michael Jackson and Whitney all legends of “my time” even though they weren’t exactly but just loosing them all really brought it home.

I don't remember the 80s but I always talk about how great the 90s are and I will never stop. The greatest decade, bar none!

For me it's part psychological and part physical- I try to look after myself as best as I can with eating well and so on and psychologically I don't allow myself to feel old. If I think back to an experience in the 90s for instance, I don't think "wow I can't believe that was x years ago, I feel so old". I'll look back with fondness and think to myself I was so lucky to have had that experience in the best decade ever

Also my 20s were a mess, my self esteem was in the toilet, I constantly got with unsuitable men, wasn't happy. Much happier and confident in myself nowadays

Hope that doesn't sound preachy!

The 90’s were fab! I agree! I look back with fond memories and so glad we just lived and played out rather than have social media like youth nowadays.