to hate it when people say "at that age I had already ... "

[SomewhereOverARainbow]

Had children/moved out/had my own business etc

It comes across as very smug. I'm referring to posts I saw on a very recent thread, but I have seen these comments before.

For example if someone says they live at home at 26 then cue lots of posters saying well at 26 I have my own house, another DC on the way, was married, had a master degree and solved world hunger.

Do people not understand that everyones circumstances are different? And that people can decide what is the best choice in their own life at whatever age they are?

I suppose it's warranted if someone is bleating on and wanting excused because of their tender years.

I do find the entitled apathy of teenagers irritating at 17 I was 8,000 miles from home and living in a war zone.

Well it's all relative isnt it? and times are so different now.

At 21 (1982), DH and I had our first mortgage thanks to good times in the property market and us both being at the very start of the career ladder, so that could be seen as mark of 'achievement' or 'responsibility'.

On the other hand, we didnt have our first child til I was 36 (1996) and I still don't feel like a grown up even now in 2013!!

It's just a variation of the "Back in my day we had to saw our legs off and walk twenty miles in the snow to get any breakfast" and "Kids got no respect these days" nonsense. Everybody likes to believe the generations after them have it easier but achieve less.

I agree Op.
And I'm 56 and it annoys me too.
Just say 'Good for you', they're clearly better than us

By the time I was twenty, I had raised an army by my own authority and at my own expense. I championed the liberty of the republic when it was oppressed by the tyranny of a faction.

Puts your mortgages into perspective, fuckersnails

(NB - not me, really - just made me think of this )

It depends.

Generally I find other peoples experiences interesting.

However not if its a put down. There is no point someone bleating on about how much of an achievement it is they had acheived house ownership in 1982 at your age when the same house only cost £40k as opposed to £400k now.

If they mean it in "a look how times have changed" way -fine. But not so fine if its too make the other person feel inferior.

I agree, boils my piss every time I see it