It is weird that I don't like it when people call me "young"?

[Amethystgirl]

On March 19th I will be turning 41. I feel middle aged, not exactly young. People still tell me I'm young but I don't think so. To me 25 is young, not 41. I feel when people call me "young" they are taking away how I feel about my age even though according to my hairdresser I have no grey hairs.

 

[Trophonius]

41 is middle age, but people use "young" or "old" relative to their own age.

For a 60-year-old you're a baby, for a 13-year-old you're a dinosaur.

 

[Misty Avich]

I had the opposite. When I was 18 I hated being called an adult. I didn't feel like an adult. But when I told my family not to keep calling me an adult they just said "well you're not a baby, are you?" That annoyed me too because I didn't mean that, I was just trying to say that I was just a teenager, not a child nor an adult.

 

[Jumpinbare]

On March 19th I will be turning 41. I feel middle aged, not exactly young. People still tell me I'm young but I don't think so. To me 25 is young, not 41. I feel when people call me "young" they are taking away how I feel about my age even though according to my hairdresser I have no grey hairs.

I started going grey at 14. In my teens and 20s people frequently told me I was born 40. In childhood and teens, I mainly liked hanging out with older people. Now in my 60s, I find that of the handful of people I hang out with, only 2 are over 60. The others range from 20s - 40s (aka "kids")

 

[Xinyta]

I wouldn't take too much offense. But what @Trophonius said is true. Alot of older folks in thier will consider us 60s and beyond see those like you and I, as kids.

Though it's not meant to be an insult, as much as a indication of experience. The we still have much to see and do yet before we become like those older than us.

I know the knee jerk reaction is to go "Screw you. I am an adult!" But it's not about that. It's never been about that. Age is relative. Experience is the true measure of someone well versed in the world. And we all will be, in one way or another. Eventually. Whether we like it or not.

Ironic. Coming from someone that has not grown up, one day in his life. But maybe I just needed extra time to find my way.

 

[Shamar]

On March 19th I will be turning 41. I feel middle aged, not exactly young. People still tell me I'm young but I don't think so. To me 25 is young, not 41. I feel when people call me "young" they are taking away how I feel about my age even though according to my hairdresser I have no grey hairs.

I have the opposite problem. I don't mind being called "Sir" by younger people (although I don't feel like a sir), but being called that by middle agers really makes me feel old. I'm 73.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

It's all perspective. To our parents, we are always "kids". We will never have the lived experience our elders will have, so we will always be "inexperienced" in comparison. My wife is going through this right now with her father, in his 80's and has several health issues, and she, a critical care RN with nearly 40 years of experience, is constantly being questioned and treated like a child by her father (who is a retired mechanical engineer with zero medical training) even though she is his medical power of attorney and advocate.

I often refer to our medical interns and residents, frankly, anyone under 30, as young kids. Not to their face, of course, but that tends to be my cognitive bias.

Perspective. Here in this comedic scene where the two "grumpy old men"(70s) are physically fighting, then their father (90s), much older, steps in to break them up. (2:00 mark)

 

[Tuffsy]

All my working life people used to deride me for being younger than them and it made me feel bad. Now that I am old I realise that it was what some call "tall poppy syndrome" where people put you down so that they can feel more superior. I never understood it and still don't.

 

[Atrapa Almas]

Young is perceived as positive by most people since almost all adults want to be or to look younger. There are all kind of cosmetics, makeups, suplements, surgeries, medicines... to look younger.

So when people tell you younger they may be just trying to be nice to you since that strategy works for other people.

At México they call you "wero" or "wera", which means "blonde". I was surprised to be called that at markets by vendors, they just consider that to be something good since most population wants to be "blonder".

 

[Judge]

I never felt particularly "young" at 40. Definitely a state of middle age.

To me it would be a matter of context, and not simply age alone. Are you too old to switch careers or be educated and retrained in another field? Not in my opinion, but then it's something I did myself at the age of 42.

But having such an ability doesn't magically make anyone "young" either. But then I suspect there are numerous colloquial expressions that annoy a great many of us. Go figure.

 

[Tony Ramirez]

I look half my age, even younger if I shave. One woman thought I was born in the late 90s. When I played my favorite Star Wars trivia game of when did the original came out, she was surprised it was in 1977. I like it when people say I look younger. But it does scare me if I am new in a group and they think I am around their age aka game night until I found a few around my age and the 20s something game night started to shift recently to towards an older demographic.