to feel I've become middle-aged and irrelevant almost overnight?

[WhatsGoingOnEh]

I've just turned 47. And I don't know what's happened! I use to understand memes and cultural references, but now I understand barely 1 word out of 10 in my DC's conversations.

I crave old-fashioned values like kindness, punctuality (I never used to be punctual!!!) and reliability.

Bits of my job (marketing) annoy me now. When people talk about "creating stories" I just think, "oh shut up, you ponce".

I buy things because they look well-made rather than cool.

I crave silence, and reading, and little treats with a coffee. My face scares me if I don't have make-up on. I'm suddenly into gardening.

I'm realising I've probably blown my chances to be a best-selling novelist and TV presenter/Instagram influencer, but I'm finding I'm not really that bothered about it.

My DH is 2 years older and he pusses me if when he suggests going to gigs in the pub, because I've been doing that for 30 years and would just like a nice dinner party, really.

I feel I've gone from young to old in 6 months. Is this normal? Is this how it happens?

FML - husband has just called to tell me about spaces in the school park we are no longer allowed to park in. He was a hardcore raver back in the day.

Don't they say that you know you are middle aged when a cancelled social engagement makes you relieved rather than indignant?

^^
This
"the best laid plans are cancelled plans" is one of my favourite expressions.

I'm not quite on your wavelength yet - hate gardening/love Ibiza - but am delighted to say I got ID'd in M&S the other day. I've been legally buying alcohol for a good 20 years.
But the one thing I find utterly refreshing is how little I give a shit these days about what people think of me. I used to really care about how I looked or if people liked me. Now I don't. It's positively liberating.

I just said very similar yesterday OP-

I just bought a navy blue one piece cossie from M&S and i love it

and i'm hoping it will rain because it's good for the garden....

I love this post, OP.
From the title I thought it was going to be highlighting the ways the world treats you worse as you get older. But no! It's a not giving a fuck one largely about doing what you like now. I'm not 40 yet and I'm with you. Planning the garden and birdwatching are suddenly so much more exciting than the pub. Yesterday, I bought a 500 piece jigsaw. Hurrah!

It is good how nature activates your "don't give a toss" genes at the same time as it turns off all your lovely youthful stuff.

Feeling old and CARING ABOUT IT would be crippling.

Nearly 48 and so there. One glass of wine ruins the whole of the next day. I want comfortable shoes. I've joined the National Trust. Men never notice me anymore, and I prefer being invisible. When I laugh my stomach wobbles and I don't care.
I quite like it all, actually.

I'm a little older than you OP but I was wondering, only the other day, when was the exact moment when I chose warm, comfortable clothes over fashionable ones ? When did gardening suddenly become so satisfying ? When was the moment when I suddenly got a little thrill at the prospect of a drying day or new BBC drama or a little mooch around a farmers market or village fete. It certainly creeps up on you !

What's a mint madness? Or do you just call it madness, madness they call it madness Just reliving my ska years-yeah! I'm in my 50s my OH says things like 'at our age'well he used to. Gets on my nerves . Yes I do feel a bit invisible that no one would take a second glance but I know I look young for my so think its all in my head. However I love gardening and a cuppa with chocolate quietly is a pleasure. Don't think its an age thing just an attitude thing. I see plenty of older people looking smart. Someone is now going to tell me I've missed the point(dons hard hat)

Until very recently I thought meme was pronounced me-me. I was going round talking about me-mes and thinking I was down with the kids.

Ironically someone older than me put me right.

""oh shut up, you ponce"."

Quite offensive but I can see why, at 47 and with hormones all over the place, you're becoming much more masculine and so 'ponces' are relatively effeminate.

It is good how nature activates your "don't give a toss" genes at the same time as it turns off all your lovely youthful stuff

I wish I'd known this when I was young. I used to worry that I'd care so much. I needn't have been concerned at all.

Until very recently I thought meme was pronounced me-me.

Me too! Luckily I have a teenage translator on hand.

I even bought some stuff from that catalogue inside the Sunday Times.

I'm scared to look in this until we have built up more of a savings buffer. I would bankrupt us.

50 here.

I don’t have any shits left to give.

I get excited when Clarks have a shoe sale.

I tut for all sorts of reasons that I can’t even explain.

I visit plant nurseries.

I have got rid of TV, iron and ironing board and mirrors because WTF are they for, except wasting my time?

On the other hand I run marathons, do cycle tours and wild camp, so I’m doing ok. My DCs are adults and doing their own thing wherever and I am not in debt and am a size 8 and very healthy. My mental health isn’t great but there’s a back story to that and I’m working on it.

Life’s bloody wonderful when you find out who you are.

Oh yes!

Social media is part of my work but I'm now starting to HATE IT. But I have zero workplace skills if I dump that...

Also my DD looked at me yesterday and said, in a pondering manner: "If I had your eyebrows, I would be bullied."

I said ‘I like their bin store’ to my DH the other day and realised there was no coming back from this.

I didn’t have a wild youth by any stretch of the imagination but the way I live now makes my younger self look like a cross between Pete Doherty and Shane MacGowan in comparison!

I was probably born middle aged.

I have never liked parties, night clubs, forced socialising etc. I am a home bod, and now that I am almost 52 I am so relieved that I no longer come under pressure to perform any of these things and pretend to be enjoying them. Apart from having to be taxi service to our youngest teenager (she is 15), I am free to be at home every night with TV, dogs and a good book for company.

I am also relieved that I now couldn't give a shiny shite what others think about me, what I look like, what I wear, what I do, the fact that I don't wear make-up and almost never have etc.

I've even been considering whether or not to try knitting again. I used to do some when I was a teenager (told you) and I just might fancy it again.

I think I realised I was getting older when my children's school history lessons included things which to me were current affairs when I was their age. Winter of Discontent, Margaret Thatcher (like or loathe her), the miners' strike, the Falklands Conflict, First Gulf War. All have now morphed into history lessons. Those were my teenage years, student years and young adulthood.

Oh, and my "children" (now aged 22, 19 and 15) do really laugh at my complete inability to get my head around what things like memes really are. I'm not sure I will ever totally get that one.

In fact, I am not even sure I give a shit about it, to be honest.

“Forty is the old age of youth; fifty the youth of old age. ” - Victor Hugo

Oops!! Did I really just forget that DD1 is now 23, not 22!!??

I miss the jawbone and neckline of my youth, I miss the waistline that went in instead of out, but I’m happy to give zero shits about what other people think.

For every bit of youth that was wasted on me, that I have now lost, I’ve gained appreciation, wisdom, bravery, knowledge, confidence and sophistication. Age is not just a number, there’s a trade off in there too. Mostly it’s fair, I lost a flat tummy but gained a wardrobe that works for my body type rather than trying to keep up to date with fashions. I’ve got grey hair I need to colour but the confidence to visit my local pub with no make up.

I've started WW and they have a really fun social part of the app. Like Instagram for chubs. Most of it is lovely recipe suggestions, weight loss updates and general chat. But every hour or so, someone will post a picture of themselves in their PANTS, ostensibly as a weight-loss update.

I block everyone who does it. One man just posted a photo of his face as he lay in bed (he'd gone to bed at 7pm to avoid snacking) and I blocked him too because his photo revealed that he probably had a bare chest.

Ah, thanks Haribo. I will look into that.