What was your "I'm officially old" moment?

[vdeane]

Older rather than old since I'm in my 30s, but when I drove by the high school, saw some students, and realized that they looked more like kids than young adults.

Related: looking at all the fashion trends from when I was in middle/high school circle back around.

Also (sorta): The songs that were playing on Fly92.3 when I first moved here are now appearing on their "oldskool musicgasm" (OMG) playlist.

One that hit an older coworker: when he showed me some emails from the beginning of an effort that started in his time in that job (this was shortly after I was hired), and I looked at the date and remarked "I was in high school then!".

[freebrickproductions]

Not super old, but I definitely feel old when someone who's old enough to have a YouTube account (13+) comments about how they remember watching one of my earlier videos when they were in elementary school, lmao.

[1995hoo]

I can think of a variety of things that might qualify, but something that happened today would be either at or near the top of the list.

This morning I went to a memorial service for the mother of one of my college roommates. She died last month of pancreatic cancer. I saw my old roommate in the church lobby prior to the service and we realized that because COVID had led to our 2020 class reunion being cancelled, the last time prior to today that we had seen each other was July 2019 at my father's funeral Mass.

Realizing that you've reached the point in your life where you see certain people pretty much just for funerals is definitely something that makes you feel old.


(Edited to correct a missing word.)

[gonealookin]

I turn 55 in May and it really doesn't help to see a senior menu 55+ at Dennys.

I have never ordered anything off a "senior menu".  I'm not reluctant to take the discount off a regular meal though, and Denny's does offer a 15% discount off your Moons Over My Hammy when you show your AARP card at the cash register.  There are a number of chain restaurants that offer those discounts.  The AARP membership also comes in handy for discounted rates at hotels, and Hertz has special 50-and-over rates as well.

[MikeTheActuary]

I realized I was old when I went to a local museum and saw gadgets from my childhood on display.

[ran4sh]

When I was looking at tweets on Twitter regarding my high school's football team, and there was a user whose username included my graduation year (so I thought he might have been a classmate) but it turned out he was an active player on the team, and the year was his birth year.

[tmoore952]

I turn 55 in May and it really doesn't help to see a senior menu 55+ at Dennys.

I have never ordered anything off a "senior menu".  I'm not reluctant to take the discount off a regular meal though, and Denny's does offer a 15% discount off your Moons Over My Hammy when you show your AARP card at the cash register.  There are a number of chain restaurants that offer those discounts.  The AARP membership also comes in handy for discounted rates at hotels, and Hertz has special 50-and-over rates as well.

I decided when I turned 50 a few years back that I would forego AARP as long as my son is in school. Given what AARP lobbies for and by definition who they would lobby against, I felt that joining would be super hypocritical on my part. (my own decision, not trying to preach)

I probably will join AARP when that is no longer an issue for me.
I do have AAA membership which also helps with some travel things.

[tchafe1978]

When I could no longer count the number of prescription drugs I take on one hand.

When my 17 year old daughter started listening to bands like Nirvana that first became popular when I was in middle school.

When my now 19 year old daughter began working at the same place I work at when she was 16, and I am now old enough to be many of my co-workers' father, many of whom are college students.

[DandyDan]

Probably back in 2010, when I turned 38, when I found out a coworker of mine who was younger than me became a grandmother.

[Rothman]

I turn 55 in May and it really doesn't help to see a senior menu 55+ at Dennys.

I have never ordered anything off a "senior menu".  I'm not reluctant to take the discount off a regular meal though, and Denny's does offer a 15% discount off your Moons Over My Hammy when you show your AARP card at the cash register.  There are a number of chain restaurants that offer those discounts.  The AARP membership also comes in handy for discounted rates at hotels, and Hertz has special 50-and-over rates as well.

I decided when I turned 50 a few years back that I would forego AARP as long as my son is in school. Given what AARP lobbies for and by definition who they would lobby against, I felt that joining would be super hypocritical on my part. (my own decision, not trying to preach)

I probably will join AARP when that is no longer an issue for me.
I do have AAA membership which also helps with some travel things.

AARP has been hounding me to join since I turned 30.

[kkt]

The first time a clerk or server called me "sir".

[wriddle082]

The graying hair came first.  Now it's the hypertension and the Losartan I have to take to keep my blood pressure down.

[GaryV]

I don't know. My memory is gone.

[Big John]

I don't know. My memory is gone.

Took the blue pill?

[kkt]

I don't know. My memory is gone.

Took the blue pill?

Was it a blue pill or a red pill?

[michravera]

When I could no longer count the number of prescription drugs I take on one hand.

When my 17 year old daughter started listening to bands like Nirvana that first became popular when I was in middle school.

When my now 19 year old daughter began working at the same place I work at when she was 16, and I am now old enough to be many of my co-workers' father, many of whom are college students.

I made a co-worker feel REALLY old back on December 7, 2015 when we had the following exchange:

She: Can you believe that it is already December 7th?
I: Yeah, seems like just yesterday it was the 6th...
She: <chuckles> <to other co-worker> ... Do you remember where you were Pearl Harbor Day?
Other: <grumbles>
I: Do you know where I was on Pearl Harbor Day?
She: A little gleam in your daddy's eye??
I: My Grandmother was three months' pregnant with my mother!

For myself, it came in stages:
My first grey hair at 17
First balding evidence at 30
First grey pube at 33
First time I caught salespeople clandestinely discussing offering me a senior discount at 48
First experienced age discrimination at 54
First time I bought my stepson a legal beer at 58
Much younger brother died when I was 60.
Realized my miscarried child would be 43 and my stepdaughter with 3rd back ex is 45 at 62.
I'm 63.

[vdeane]

Probably back in 2010, when I turned 38, when I found out a coworker of mine who was younger than me became a grandmother.

I think that says more about her and her children than it does about you. 

[SectorZ]

When Tom Brady stopped playing (for good), as he was the last athlete in the 4 major sports older than me.

[webny99]

When I could no longer count the number of prescription drugs I take on one hand.

When my 17 year old daughter started listening to bands like Nirvana that first became popular when I was in middle school.

When my now 19 year old daughter began working at the same place I work at when she was 16, and I am now old enough to be many of my co-workers' father, many of whom are college students.

I made a co-worker feel REALLY old back on December 7, 2015 when we had the following exchange:

She: Can you believe that it is already December 7th?
I: Yeah, seems like just yesterday it was the 6th...
She: <chuckles> <to other co-worker> ... Do you remember where you were Pearl Harbor Day?
Other: <grumbles>
I: Do you know where I was on Pearl Harbor Day?
She: A little gleam in your daddy's eye??
I: My Grandmother was three months' pregnant with my mother!

Wait a minute, what am I missing here? To remember where you were on Pearl Harbor day means you were born 1935-ish or earlier. To still be in the workforce in 2015 means your co-worker was ~80 years old?

If that's the case, I think it might have been a bit late for an "I'm officially old" moment, especially a first such moment (which I'm sure it wasn't!)

[GaryV]

For a while when I reffed youth soccer, I had an Eisenhower dollar that I used for flipping. Sometimes I asked the captains if they knew who it was. Then I gave them a hint, "He was president when I was born." One day a kid answered, "Uh, Washington?"
Grrrr.

[kkt]

For a while when I reffed youth soccer, I had an Eisenhower dollar that I used for flipping. Sometimes I asked the captains if they knew who it was. Then I gave them a hint, "He was president when I was born." One day a kid answered, "Uh, Washington?"
Grrrr.

Kid's a smartass, but at least he's funny

[michravera]

When I could no longer count the number of prescription drugs I take on one hand.

When my 17 year old daughter started listening to bands like Nirvana that first became popular when I was in middle school.

When my now 19 year old daughter began working at the same place I work at when she was 16, and I am now old enough to be many of my co-workers' father, many of whom are college students.

I made a co-worker feel REALLY old back on December 7, 2015 when we had the following exchange:

She: Can you believe that it is already December 7th?
I: Yeah, seems like just yesterday it was the 6th...
She: <chuckles> <to other co-worker> ... Do you remember where you were Pearl Harbor Day?
Other: <grumbles>
I: Do you know where I was on Pearl Harbor Day?
She: A little gleam in your daddy's eye??
I: My Grandmother was three months' pregnant with my mother!

Wait a minute, what am I missing here? To remember where you were on Pearl Harbor day means you were born 1935-ish or earlier. To still be in the workforce in 2015 means your co-worker was ~80 years old?

If that's the case, I think it might have been a bit late for an "I'm officially old" moment, especially a first such moment (which I'm sure it wasn't!)

She died in 2021, aged 84. We were both mind games officials. The average age of members of the American Contract Bridge League was about 68 at the time. (It's about the same now).

[mgk920]

When you first went to an unfamiliar bar and did not get 'carded'?

Mike

[GaryV]

For a while when I reffed youth soccer, I had an Eisenhower dollar that I used for flipping. Sometimes I asked the captains if they knew who it was. Then I gave them a hint, "He was president when I was born." One day a kid answered, "Uh, Washington?"
Grrrr.

Kid's a smartass, but at least he's funny

Nah, he had no clue who it might be, and just picked an old president.

[bugo]

I haven't had it yet.