When did you realise you were getting/feeling older?

[2anddone]

I have driven since I was 17 and over the (many) years I have driven in various different countries on all sorts of roads. It never used to bother me what the weather was like or what time of day it was.
Today I drove home from Birmingham (approx 150 miles) the weather was horrendous and I was scared! People on the roads didn't have their car lights on and weren't indicating. The rain was coming down so hard I could hardly see the road and it was so dark on some roads that I hit a large puddle as I couldn't see it in the dark.
I am now sat at home with my dc in bed and I feel really old I never thought I would be bothered by driving but today (at 42 years old) I was!
What made you feel like you were getting old?

Tried to hip hop the other weekend and realised I'm knackered.

When I went to a younger friend’s birthday brunch- (me in my thirties and her/ her other friends in their 20s) and they spent the whole meal instagramming and obsessing over the perfect image- exhausting! I ate grin

^

colleague said 'is that on insta' to another colleague.

I'm just like 😒🤔

When I looked at my 25 year old son just over 2 years ago.

When I caught my reflection in a mirror during broad daylight this past spring and realised I looked like my mother. And that every joint hurts when I sit still for too long or that I'm stiff and achy when moving.
And that my child has only ever known a world with battery powered cars, touch screen technology and digital audio/pics. 30 years ago I'd have thought this was all science fiction 😂

"When a 20 year old told me my generation wouldn't understand technology. I am 30" cheeky git!! I'm 46 and am of the generation that had the first home computers, I'm a damn site better on tech than my 17 yo dd! AND her friends! Frequently have conversations where they didn't realise they could do X y or z on their phone/tablet/computer. I'm also shocked at how little they're able to do of what I consider pretty basic computer skills - like googling and NOT believing the info in the first hit (dubious source), basic word processing skills etc

Dd was 7 months old when 9/11 happened though. She doesn't remember a world pre 9/11, particularly obvious if we ever fly. But also when watching certain films/tv shows made pre 9/11 featuring terrorism or air travel there's certain differences.

On here mostly when younger mners mention certain historic events happening when they were at school or even younger! And I'm like 'how can they be mothers (clear from other parts of their post) and only have been X yo when y happened" then I do the maths and realise y didn't happen 5/10 years ago but 20/30 years ago!

Dd expecting me to move faster than I'm able to. It's partly due to physical disability which she forgets - but she also forgets I'm not bloody 17 like her! And I'm a good foot shorter too!

The decades seem less time ago than they actually are - I mean the 90's were only like 10 years ago right? Not nearly bloody 30!

I can now relate to my parents preferring music/film/tv from their era - which for them was much harder to access.

I've mentioned before particularly with film I never think they're as old as they are, eg I've today watched karate kid 2 (this WILL make certain mners feel old - Ralph Macchio is now older than mr miyagi actor was at time of filming!), Beverly Hills cop 3 and am looking forward to watching final destination (first one) later. To me I kinda get that the first 2 are "old" films - and also have to remind myself this would be like when my parents in the 80's enjoyed watching 50's movies which I thought were REALLY old. But in my head final destination is a "new" film - it's 18 years old! So older than dd (just) which is her usual refrain when I claim a film I recommend is "not that old" or even "fairly new" "mum! It's older than me!"

OCD prevents anyway but physically I wouldn't even CONSIDER sitting on the floor these days - it'd take me a week to get up! Dd sometimes scoffs when I ask her to reach something or pick something up for me - she'll get it when she's older.

"When your friends have children who are starting secondary school." I have friends who are teachers (primary and secondary) who are saying to me now they THOUGHT they felt old when they started teaching friends DC, they now realise they were fools as they are now starting to teach the GRANDCHILDREN!

"I have no interest in the top 40 and I don't really understand how it works with streaming." I don't mind pop/chart music and will happily use digital radio/streaming but Dd likes "hard style"which leads me to think/say thinks that I know mean I am officially old - ie "it all sounds the same" "it's not music it's just noise" but then I thought the same of house music back in the 80's when I was a teen myself!

This year, when I turned 41. I can't see my toddler twins in focus when I pick them up - have to move them back a bit. And I think I'm getting bunions. BUNIONS. 😱 It's a short hop, skip and a jump to shopping at Damart and saying 'Oof' when you sit down in a comfty chair. 😳

I'm philosophical about it, because the alternative is not being younger, it's being dead, and I'm very grateful for getting time others sadly didn't get. Unnerving though. I feel you, OP.

Chin hairs!

WTAF are they all about

When it starts to become an effort to do things that you didn’t even notice a few years ago, like climbing the stairs or running after the dog. I worry that I’m too fat and that it’s going to have an impact on my health fairly soon. Trouble is I bloody hate dieting and exercise.

Oh and my night vision is going! I didn't even know that was a thing. I'm reading all your posts and giving you sisterly fistbumps as I could have written many of them word for word. Especially about things that have been around for years being new things in our heads.

Like Dove soap. That's new in my head. Because before that there was Camay, and Lux, and Imperial Leather, and Pears, and Palmolive and pretty much nothing else. 👵🏻

When I found out I'm going to be a great auntie (it just sounds old!)
When I was bought a jigsaw puzzle for Xmas & couldn't wait to open it & get it started,
I've spent the last week crocheting a blanket for an Xmas present for a friend to match their 1970's retro be camper!

I'm only 31! Why am I so old for someone who isn't really very old though????

I have friends who are teachers

That was one of the first "I'm old" signs.

Groaning when I get to my feet - I used to think other people were dramatic when they did it.

Embracing elasticated waistbands with vigour.

Vw camper, not be camper!

I’m 41 and think I look alright for my age. But since hitting 40 I occasionally catch sight of my reflection and think ‘who is that haggard yet slightly matronly looking woman?’.

My mother warned me this would happen 😆

When I realised that all of DH's siblings are grandparents.

2 years ago. Mid 40s.

I luckily came out then other side of cancer.

I feel ravaged. I'm now back to full health and "fine". Except I just feel like I lack stamina. I really get what you are saying about the driving. Today i had to drive ds from North Gloucestershire to Brighton for a uni open day. I knew I wouldn't manage it and luckily DH managed to get the day off work at the last minute so took over. 5 years ago I wouldn't have batted an eyelid for such a trip. I lack confidence (god knows why) and know I just don't have it in me to do a long drive each way and spend a day doing stuff inbetween anymore. I slept 1 hour each way as it was just as a passenger!

This makes me feel very old.

I also no longer camp which was a passion of mine. I just find it so exhausting these days, despite my love of it. The exhaustion just takes all the fun out of it!

First grey pube
Hot flushes
No more hot flushes
Three colours for highlights every six weeks (blonde, caramel, brown)
Always holding the bannister in case my knees go
May be slightly deaf

Re the driving, I felt that at 40, I think I read it's something to do with reaching 100,000 miles and becoming sufficiently expert to see all the risks. It passes.

Oh cartwheel I agree re return trips. We increasingly stay over now.

When I realised I need bifocals. I'm 44

Just general slowing down and faint acheyness in the background. We are ancient by caveman standards, it’s no wonder we feel a bit decrepit at times.

Well - in my early forties I started to find I couldn’t carry the shopping as easily, felt weaker and less able, and last year at 45 I had terrible light sensitivity and thought I might have to give up driving st night (and wear dark glasses to watch tv) BUT then I got HRT, started doing weights, gym and swimming regularly, got my brain in gear by studying and realised that St Johns Wort had seriously affected my eyes which have gradually healed now thankfully. Now I feel like I used to in my mid thirties. Don’t write yourselves off!

Oh the roses...... first grey pube. I’m just going bald down there. And I didn’t have a lot to begin with. I’m not at the flushes yet. But the anxiety as kick in .... hair on my chin one that was hard!!! Not like a hair at all.

How did I get to be this age. When did that happen. I don’t sit in the floor as it would be hard to get up. I’m in bed by 9 which my 14 year old ( how am I old enough to have a 14 year old ) laughs at.

I can’t do a full day out anymore without resting the next day. Okay. I’m now officially depressed. And it’s passed my bedtime.

Lately, I’ve been finding myself disapproving of young people

What I find really depressing is when I think of how old my mum was when I was dds age. She had me younger than I had dd (not a huge amount but still...) but when I think of how I viewed her when I was the 17 yr old (thought she was ancient, couldn't possibly understand how I felt about many things!) and now I'm older than she was then!!

I cannot reconcile how I feel now with how I viewed her then. Also makes me feel a bit guilty (we had a real rough patch when I was 17 and I was horrible to her).

I’m not really sure because for years people were amazed when they found out how old I am plus DD definitely keeps me younger. I think it’s since I’ve lost a load of weight & it doesn’t look as good as it would have done when I was, say, in my 20s. The thinness emphasises my lines etc. I feel 18 inside!