What on earth does "act your age" mean anyway? What behaviour exactly is suitable for someone of sixty? Or seventy? Or eighty? Should we wear clothes that hide every square inch of flesh? Should we never say anything rude or controversial? Should we avoid contentious subjects like sex, drugs, religion or politics? Should we avoid doing anything that might be seen as childish or immature?
You could tie yourself in knots trying to act the way people expect an oldie to act - whatever that may be. Who gives a damn? The way I see it, we oldies have spent decades being bossed around by employers, bureaucrats, relatives and big companies, and in our final years we should be able to behave however we like and ignore any age-based remarks.
Perhaps "act your age" should mean act like someone who's old enough to have seen plenty of life, who's well-informed, experienced, worldly-wise and confident enough to expose young people's naivety and wishful thinking. That would be a definition worth pursuing.
By the time you reach the point when you're thinking more in terms of how many years you have left than of how many years you've lived, it really shouldn't matter any more what somebody else thinks is "age-appropriate behavior". If playing with model trains or watching goofy TV shows is what brings the most happiness, why not spend your time doing that? It's certainly better than spending your time worrying about other people's approval.
ReplyDeleteInfidel: It shouldn't matter a damn, but in some people's eyes there is still a "correct" way of behaving once you're over a certain age.
DeleteI like your definition, Nick! I think when many of us reach a certain age (50+), we stop caring what other people think.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: Yes, that definition makes a lot more sense, doesn't it?
DeleteI have spent most of my adult life being who I am. I am not a pleaser, nor am I rude. I just am. I've been fortunate in all the young people I've had around me as I hit middle age till now. My good friend is 47. I've known her for 20 years. She sees me as just me. An I see her the same way. Anyway, my mind age is maybe 27!
ReplyDeleteSandra: I guess I'm much the same. Just being who I am and not caring if I fit some formula or other.
DeleteI have a memory filed away. I was taking a recreational night class in drama, back in my 20's. As I walked beside a classmate who was a grandmother, she told me she was annoyed at people who thought a granny shouldn't skip down the hall. I think we both skipped along.
ReplyDeleteToday, in my 60's, I still prefer wearing T-shirts, with a nice picture (not words) for folks to look at, rather than a plain collared shirt.
Sean: A granny shouldn't skip down the hall? Ridiculous! I don't usually wear a tee, I prefer patterned shirts.
Delete"What on earth does "act your age" mean anyway? " I wonder, too. If it means not having fun or being myself, then I don't want to act my age. However, I won't wear a mini-skirt ever again, ha.
ReplyDeleteColette: It can mean so many different things, can't it? And yes, having fun or being oneself is more to the point. Oh, and I won't be wearing a miniskirt either....
DeleteActing my age means doing whatever I feel like. My Dave, age 79, still plays with trains with friends several times a month. My body made me stop joining them but I was in my forties when we started participating and we traveled all over the US joining in model railroad operating sessions for years.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Linda: I loved my big model railway when I was a kid, though as an adult I lost interest in it. But travelling the country playing with model railways sounds like fun.
DeleteAct your age always makes me laugh. Why should we act our age. Maybe we should act the way we want. Who came up with we have to act our age.
ReplyDeleteMary: Indeed, why should we act our age? Says who?
DeleteI don't like those articles telling me what I should or shouldn't wear after a certain age - I'm still small enough to wear children's clothes! And I will, sometimes, because they are cheaper.
ReplyDeleteSx
Ms Scarlet: What gives them the nerve to tell oldies how they should be dressed? They all disagree anyway. Good that you can still wear cheaper children's clothes!
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