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Do you tell people your age?

nala

nala

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
Messages
7,187
I was thinking about context. I am starting year 28 of teaching and at the same school. In terms of seniority at my school, I am the 10th person, which means that I was hired way before the other 160 personnel. I have noticed that most who were hired after me, assume that I am older than I am—bc of my reputation. Also, very few start their teaching careers at 22, like I did. Most start at 27 some even early 30’s so they use that reference point, I think.
Yet, when I first meet newbies who do not know much about me, they are surprised to know my age. They think I am much younger than I am. All this to say that I have learned to proudly proclaim my age. 50. And I do wonder why I always heard women who did not like to disclose their age. Isn’t it preferable to just state your age so people don’t assume? Maybe not disclosing your age has become an antiquated notion now?
 
Happy with my age and I have to show people my driving licence to prove it as most people do not believe I would be 60 next year.

DK :))
 
NO!!! People think I'm 10-15 years younger than I am and I like it that way. :lol-2: The problem is when I mention my DD's age because that means I'm at least x years old. I'm going to have to start avoiding that question, too. :roll2:

I know it's silly, and I don't know why it matters.
 
Hey DK, we're the same age. I will be 60 this winter. I was asked the other day if I was interested in management. I tried to be gentle and not say, "I want to retire sooner than later!". Other than cautionary concerns about disclosure for my new job (I am surrounded by many younger folks in tech) I don't mind outing myself socially.

DH is 8 years younger, so I am a little sensitive outing that. Poor guy...I aged so much in the last 10 years!

What we're supposed to do? I have no clue! I can't keep up with the new "rules" as they come out. Soon though, they will all just shrug and at worse call me eccentric in my old age.
 
Yes! My mother only made 33, I’m 65 and proud to get there!
 
Sometimes I forget my age. Although I am proud to say that when people meet my family they assume that I'm the youngest sister. I'm the oldest and the youngest is 10 years younger so I'm pretty happy with that haha.
 
If they ask I don't mind. People usually think I am younger though now I think my age is catching up to me lol. But as always, in my head I am around 35 or so..if only my body would agree :lol:
 
I think women hiding their age used to be, and let's face it, still is to some extent, based on the misogynistic notion that women are mere sex objects who lose value as they age, which does not apply to men to nearly the same extent.

I don't consider my age a secret but I usually keep it to myself because, at my age, it seems like people think revealing it is a request for flattery. Like then they're supposed to act stunned and proclaim that you are a freak of nature who actually looks like you're in your teens when you're grandma age haha. Awkward! And the women (or at least I only recall getting this from women) who try to make you guess their age omg. Do they really think anyone is not guessing low, just to be polite?

And I guess I do find someone asking my age to be a bit nosey, too, unless there's an obvious reason, like to see if I qualify for a senior discount. Otherwise, I wonder why they want to know. So they can judge how well I've held up? To count backwards, trying to find out if I was a teenage mother or an "old maid," so they can snicker? To me, the question just has a feel to it, like it might not be quite nice lol.

Also, I am not sure who determines what any given age is supposed to look like, so I don't know if I look my chronological age or not. However, I should look quite a bit younger, considering what I paid for it. :lol-2:
 
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nala said:
I was thinking about context. I am starting year 28 of teaching and at the same school. In terms of seniority at my school, I am the 10th person, which means that I was hired way before the other 160 personnel. I have noticed that most who were hired after me, assume that I am older than I am—bc of my reputation. Also, very few start their teaching careers at 22, like I did. Most start at 27 some even early 30’s so they use that reference point, I think.
Yet, when I first meet newbies who do not know much about me, they are surprised to know my age. They think I am much younger than I am. All this to say that I have learned to proudly proclaim my age. 50. And I do wonder why I always heard women who did not like to disclose their age. Isn’t it preferable to just state your age so people don’t assume? Maybe not disclosing your age has become an antiquated notion now?
Click to expand...

My dad always told me to tell people I am even older so they go wow you look amazing haha. My dad's sense of humor.
 
During in-person social situations I have no problem telling my age.
But since I take ID theft seriously, on the Internet I only give a vague age range, like 60s.
When registering for almost everything (unofficial) on the Internet I give a fake birthdate.
However I document these lies, just in case it one day it asks me security questions to verify I'm really the account holder.

Identity is a puzzle, so I'm tightfisted about handing out my puzzle pieces.
I'm not preaching on what you should do, only reporting what I do.
Do whatever you want.
 
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missy said:
My dad always told me to tell people I am even older so they go wow you look amazing haha. My dad's sense of humor.
Click to expand...

My mother that once you get older, the urge to do this increases. At one point in my career (tech), I tried to hide my age. Now (at 64), I am proud of it.
 
Funny thing, I am 45 but one of the young guys at work thought I was 26! I’ll take it! One thing though is because I look a lot younger, when I talk about having a 17 year old son, I get a lot of looks and now I realize why!
 
I don’t see any reason to lie about my age.
 
YadaYadaYada said:
Funny thing, I am 45 but one of the young guys at work thought I was 26! I’ll take it! One thing though is because I look a lot younger, when I talk about having a 17 year old son, I get a lot of looks and now I realize why!
Click to expand...

Dang, that's straight up baby face territory! Congrats!
 
YadaYadaYada said:
Funny thing, I am 45 but one of the young guys at work thought I was 26! I’ll take it! One thing though is because I look a lot younger, when I talk about having a 17 year old son, I get a lot of looks and now I realize why!
Click to expand...

When my daughter was in college, she requested that I dress my age (whatever that meant) because her classmates thought I was her sister when I visited.

On the flip side, I remember walking the hall to my mom's hospital room when she was in ICU from a brain bleed. One of the nurses burst out laughing saying she had to do a double take because she thought my mom had done a miraculous recovery and was walking the halls.
 
I don't understand being ashamed, or proud, of one's age, or of looking older or younger than you really are. :think:
Your age is not your 'fault', or to your 'credit'.
It just ... is.

But, as always, you do you.

IMO concerns regarding age stem from fear, and even denial, of our inevitable death, and how close we are to the end.

Life being only a temporary thing is hard to accept, and is the main reason a zillion religions have been invented.

But yeah, living forever is a truly fantastic idea.
If only. :pray:
 
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MMtwo said:
Dang, that's straight up baby face territory! Congrats!
Click to expand...

Ha! Well to be fair I don’t think I look 26, ten years younger? Sure. Either way I’m not looking ten years older so it’s a win!
 
At 30 I looked younger than I was. Now in my late 60s I figure I look my age-- but my husband is 10 years older and no one believes he is that old. Really he looks more my age. I don't announce it all over like Sally O'Malley (that SNL skit was great!) but it's not a secret either.

I have a funny story. Four decades ago when I was working at a geriatric facility that was just for elderly Freemasons and their wives, one day the wife of a past Grand Master visited our department. She said it was her 50th anniversary and she asked us how old we thought she was. Her hair was dyed black; that should have been a clue that she was in denial about her age.

Being very young and dumb I actually answered the question with what seemed to be a reasonable answer: "Seventy?"

"Oh good heavens no!" she spat out angrily.
Whoops!
I learned afterward from our head of department that she complained to her husband, and he told her it served her right. But it seems I was off by only a year or two. She married young.

Some months later I was walking through the lobby area and I smelled her coming (she took a bath in Tabu. Her signature scent apparently.) She was with a friend. We smiled and nodded as we passed each other. When she thought she was out of earshot, I heard her tell her friend, "That's the girl I told you about".
:D
 
pearlsngems said:
At 30 I looked younger than I was. Now in my late 60s I figure I look my age-- but my husband is 10 years older and no one believes he is that old. Really he looks more my age. I don't announce it all over like Sally O'Malley (that SNL skit was great!) but it's not a secret either.

I have a funny story. Four decades ago when I was working at a geriatric facility that was just for elderly Freemasons and their wives, one day the wife of a past Grand Master visited our department. She said it was her 50th anniversary and she asked us how old we thought she was. Her hair was dyed black; that should have been a clue that she was in denial about her age.

Being very young and dumb I actually answered the question with what seemed to be a reasonable answer: "Seventy?"

"Oh good heavens no!" she spat out angrily.
Whoops!
I learned afterward from our head of department that she complained to her husband, and he told her it served her right. But it seems I was off by only a year or two. She married young.

Some months later I was walking through the lobby area and I smelled her coming (she took a bath in Tabu. Her signature scent apparently.) She was with a friend. We smiled and nodded as we passed each other. When she thought she was out of earshot, I heard her tell her friend, "That's the girl I told you about".
:D
Click to expand...

Tabu says it all. You guessed right! LOL
 
My grandmother lived to be 96. She never wanted to tell her age or be asked about it. We used to tell her to be proud of it but she just didn’t see it that way. Perhaps it was a generational thing.
I don’t mind telling my age, but don’t talk about it constantly either. It is what it is, I have lived every year of it and regret none of it. Feeling blessed as the years go by to be around and still able to enjoy it!
 
I tell anyone who asks my age. I’m 54 in another 2mths, got late teenaged kids, same husband since we were 18, same besties since we were 5. I regularly get told I don’t look my age but I really don’t care - lots of people don’t make it to this age so I’m perfectly content.
 
I do, now, I don’t really care who knows it! I’ve always looked younger than my years (continuing to be a dyed blond definitely helps and I have good skin genes) but now I don’t wear much make up and care less about how I dress. I’m not glamorous in any way.

It was sobering to look recently at one of those world statistics websites- although 65% of my birth cohort is still alive only 17% of people are older than me. Focuses the mind on what’s important heading into the future.
 
pearlsngems said:
At 30 I looked younger than I was. Now in my late 60s I figure I look my age-- but my husband is 10 years older and no one believes he is that old. Really he looks more my age. I don't announce it all over like Sally O'Malley (that SNL skit was great!) but it's not a secret either.

I have a funny story. Four decades ago when I was working at a geriatric facility that was just for elderly Freemasons and their wives, one day the wife of a past Grand Master visited our department. She said it was her 50th anniversary and she asked us how old we thought she was. Her hair was dyed black; that should have been a clue that she was in denial about her age.

Being very young and dumb I actually answered the question with what seemed to be a reasonable answer: "Seventy?"

"Oh good heavens no!" she spat out angrily.
Whoops!
I learned afterward from our head of department that she complained to her husband, and he told her it served her right. But it seems I was off by only a year or two. She married young.

Some months later I was walking through the lobby area and I smelled her coming (she took a bath in Tabu. Her signature scent apparently.) She was with a friend. We smiled and nodded as we passed each other. When she thought she was out of earshot, I heard her tell her friend, "That's the girl I told you about".
:D
Click to expand...

That "how old do you think I am" is one of the worst questions to get as an innocent bystander. It served her right indeed.
 
Yes.
 
Asscherhalo_lover said:
Yes, age is but a number!
Click to expand...

Too true!

Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

I am now at the stage when my mind is willing; however, my body is weak!

DK :lol-2:
 
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