Got called an OLD lady today. AIBU to be devastated?

[FuckImOld]

OK slightly lighthearted as I’m 49 but I didn’t think I looked old

Normally people are surprised at my age, although I now know they’ve just been being polite .

Shit. I’m just not ready to be an old lady yet!

When my dd was a Leader at Beavers, it somehow came up that someone asked her how old she was, so she made the mistake of asking what they thought.
Quite a variety, but one thought she was 48.

At the time, she was 19

Shop assistants barely glance at me before pressing the "CLEARLY OVER 25" button on the self service checkouts (and yes, the Co-op actually has that option). I have told them that they could at least pretend

DS1 aged 17 went to a rave (Pre-COVID) & he said they left at 2am because there were ‘just a load of old people still there’ and all the younger ones had left. I loved a rave back in the day (late 80’s/early 90’s) & said ‘what, old people like me!?’ & his cutting reply was ‘god no Mum, like in their 30’s’!

I’m also 49, I guess that makes us ancient...still reckon we had more fun though ;)

By far my worst one was being referred to as my exh's mum when we went out for a meal once. He thought it was hilarious.

My son worked in the Co-Op as a student.
He told me he used to card ladies in their 30s/4Os if they looked like they were having a hard day, because it made them happy.

Teenagers at school accidentally call me ‘Mum’ (this happens more regularly than you’d think) - Not so bad, I have DCs their age. However, over the last few years I’ve been called Nanna on more than one occasion which I’m really not ok with!!

Last time I got IDd for alcohol I was 33.

Then aged 39 one of my kids' wee friends at kindergarten asked my kid if I was her grandma.

I had twins, what can I say? I aged fast

I've been mistaken for my dad's wife before when we've been out together. He was 30 when I was born!

Small children make such funny guesses about age, though. I worked in a primary school in my twenties and was once asked by a 5-year-old if I'd been at school 'in the Victorian times'. How old did he think I was? 'About a hundred.'

@TerribleCustomerCervix

I voted YABU as I can’t wait to be that type of old where I can stop pretending that I give a fuck about what other people think of my appearance.

I’m going to wear doc martens or dungarees to people’s weddings and pretend I can’t hear my kids when they moan at me.

Let me tell you, having reached 'that age', that is is MARVELOUS not to give a fuck about what people think about what you are wearing, whether you have on makeup, or wearing your glasses instead of contacts. My motto is "If you don't like the way I look, then look the other way". Why should I give 2 flying fucks about what someone I'll most likely never see again thinks of my comfy trousers and t-shirt.

But no elasticated waistband trousers, other than sweatpants. I'm not quite that far gone yet. Although I do love a good housecoat so I'm probably not far off.

My Mum as a teacher once shocked a child into silence. He shouted at her that she was a horrible old cow.
She said “I don’t mind being called horrible, and I don’t mind being called a cow, but don’t you ever, ever again dare to call me old.” He didn’t know what to do with that, his hissy fit fizzled out and he trotted meekly back to class.

Acrossthepond One of my favourite quotes is “At twenty we worry about what other people think of us. At forty we don’t care what other people think of us. At sixty we realise they haven’t been thinking of us at all.”

My husband and I have a ten year age gap and we always get asked who is the older one. I laugh about it now but it used to really annoy me while his ego was inflated.

When my late MIL was in hospital a nurse thought my DH was her husband. He was not amused.

Meh I got called old by some yoofs in my twenties 🤣 am still getting asked for I.d for booze almost a decade later

They have terrible age perception don’t worry 😆

Since wearing masks, I've been asked numerous times my age when buying alcohol or energy drinks (early 40s). I'm under 5 foot so I assume they only see my height because all I do is show them my face and they don't pursue and let me through.

Ooh yes and when DD10 was in hospital aged 5 a few of the nurses thought I was her nanna. Not cool!!

infant school children have a great feeling for age - they were happy that I was 95 (when I was actually 33) but the lovely TA coming up to retirement they reckoned was about 19. Nothing makes you feel older than a (very nice) male colleague in his early 30s call you "young lady" - that really makes you feel ancient :)

Children call me a man 😂

Iv been referred to as ‘Sir’ alot too 😂

I remember thinking 30 was ancient when I was 16 so it's just perspective!

I was telling off DS one day when he was about 4 years old so started with “Listen to me young man!...”

To which he annoyingly replied “No! Listen to me... (long pause) tall lady!”

He showed that data tact I have not observed in his teen years... he now pats my head and smiles benignly while saying “ohhh silly mummy” but what has really made me feel old is when he gives me a pat on the back- kisses my head and says thank you before disappearing after dinner.

I celebrated like mad when I turned 65. I declared myself an official "dirty old lady," who could say and do as she pleased with impunity. My only complaint is that my hair just WILL NOT go grey fast enough! I need those merit badges to be a proper dirty old lady!

I've been assumed to be both DS's wife and DD's granny on different occasions, which reassures me that sometimes people really don't see you. Possibly literally.

It is so weird this is on here today- turned 40 this year and was looking up skincare today. Turns out 40 plus are looking for firming and anti aging in their skincare (I was just looking for hydration). Then (randomly)my 11 year old made a comment about 'older people like mammy'. This on the day my doctor spoke about arthritis being the norm with 'you know, wear and tear and age and all'. It's like a big pile on today!!!!!!

I nearly cried the first time the kids playing football in the street said “watch that woman” rather than “watch that girl” because I knew they thought I was old.

Though the funniest age mistake was when DH, who’d been told (when he asked!) several times that his grey beard was indeed aging, and I took MIL for a hospital appointment. One of the staff spotted us and said to me “reception is quite a walk, why don’t you go to the booking in and I’ll show your Mum and Dad where to wait”. The beard got shaved off that night

Not a old lady story, but one that still hurts over a decade later.

When I was 18 I was trying to grow natural dreads (really good look on a small town white girl, right? ), which basically involves not brushing your hair for a few months until dreads develop naturally (more work than that, but that's the basic gist).

I was walking my dog one morning, and he was doing his business in my front lawn and I was still in my (admittedly ratty) pj's, when out pops the neighbour kid, who comes over and asks me -

"Are you homeless?"

I spent 7 hours brushing and conditioning the dreads out of my hair. It's still never fully grown back.