Twice her age
March 12, 2004Most Thursday nights, I volunteer with high school kids at a church youth group. Because of how I sometimes act, and maybe also because of how I sometimes dress, the high schoolers don’t realize that I am as old as I am — that I am, in fact, twice the age of some of them. Usually, I get “wow, really?”s and “no way!”s but this response was a first:
“So, how old are you?” asked the teenage girl.
“28,” I said.
“28?!”
“Yes,” I smiled. “28.”
“Wait, so when were you born?” She asked, puzzled.
“1975.”
Her jaw dropped. “Oh my god. So you were, like, alive during all of the ’80s!”
My heart sank. “You weren’t?”
I'm Christine, and this is a slice of my life—a sweet, rich, wildly indulgent slice that would taste really good with a scoop of Breyers vanilla bean ice cream. Read more >>
I run a darling, friendly, little graphic design studio.
I look on the bright side.
I take photos. Lots of photos.
I wish on stars and on websites.
I built my first web site 7 years ago and got 15 seconds of fame. (It changed my life.)
I launched, then relaunched, an online magazine.
I admitted to several embarrassing crushes.
I consumed more bacon than any human should and lived to tell the tales.
That is hysterical. I really enjoy your website.
i get the same reaction too.. (fellow 75 child here)
They’d probably pass out if I told them I was alive like all of the 70s 80s AND 90s!
when i taught prekindergarten, the kids would sometimes guess my age. depending on who knows what, the guesses would range from 10 years old (more than twice their age) to 80. they usually guessed our principal to be 100. she was actually in her mid/late thirties.
75! same de’ same, baby. and i get the same kinds of reactions from my kids at the hospital who were increasingly born in the 90’s. oy.
LOL! That one is funny!
i get that at work when the younger colleagues think i’m of the same age group… only to realize that i’m at least 8 years older :) but it’s ok… the 80s were a fun time.
Oh gosh, this is so familiar!
I had another age experience when I was talking about “older people in their 30’s” and my husband stopped me and said, “Alex, you’re now 30.”
It was a very hard thing to grasp.
Man, just wait ’til you’re 36!
ouch. i actually found that a bit humorous, though. kids say the darndest things, eh?
It’s very weird isn’t it. I get freaked out when I read some bloggers bios and I see they were born in the ’90s. Oh my!
Kids just love to make us feel old, don’t they?
Glad I’m not the only one. At least once a year someone asks me what grade I’m in. Just last month I got a full dinner for $3 when my mom had to pay full price, and I didn’t order off the children’s menu. I’m 25 :)
My brother, a high school senior, was born in ’86, so some high schoolers these days didn’t even live in any of the ’80s. I certainly don’t remember them.
On the other hand, I hate looking way younger than I am.
recently i was shopping with two co-workers after work, and it had started to snow & get fairly unpleasant out. as we checked out the lady behind the counter asked where we were from & if the roads were bad… then she added cheerfully “well, maybe it will get bad enough that you won’t have school tomorrow!” two of us are 25, the other is 24.
I am now twice the age of my eldest niece (she’s 15) but she tries to make me feel better by telling me I still wear “cool clothes and stuff”. But most people assume I’m younger than I am, prolly because I’m all of 5’0″. A couple of years ago I was even carded for buying a lottery ticket (for one of my parents). That’s not quite as bad as my friend who was carded for pumping gas…when he was 25.
i got asked for ID on friday night….turned 26 a couple of weeks ago, and the legal drinking age here is 18, yay me :)
brilliant.