Things That Make You Feel Old (6 Viewers)

[Paul]

I’ll be 48 in a couple of weeks. My wife and I will be married for 25 years in 3 weeks. My daughter turns 19 in a month and my son turns 21 in December. I know I’m old, but I don’t physically feel like it yet, and I attribute that to just regular exercise which I’m grateful I can still do.
Mentally and emotionally, I feel it though. I’m less likely to choke someone out these days, that’s for sure.

 

[UpHere]

I have to keep a magnifying glass nearby at my desk

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

I’ll be 48 in a couple of weeks. My wife and I will be married for 25 years in 3 weeks. My daughter turns 19 in a month and my son turns 21 in December. I know I’m old, but I don’t physically feel like it yet, and I attribute that to just regular exercise which I’m grateful I can still do.
Mentally and emotionally, I feel it though. I’m less likely to choke someone out these days, that’s for sure.

Old?
You’re still a puppy

 

[Brennan77]

I’ll be 48 in a couple of weeks. My wife and I will be married for 25 years in 3 weeks. My daughter turns 19 in a month and my son turns 21 in December. I know I’m old, but I don’t physically feel like it yet, and I attribute that to just regular exercise which I’m grateful I can still do.
Mentally and emotionally, I feel it though. I’m less likely to choke someone out these days, that’s for sure.

Hah. I lost my patience in a restaurant this morning and felt like choking someone out. hehe. I didn't of course. I just let the dude know what I thought of his behavior in a way that at least should have caused embarrassment to a normal human.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Hah. I lost my patience in a restaurant this morning and felt like choking someone out. hehe. I didn't of course. I just let the dude know what I thought of his behavior in a way that at least should have caused embarrassment to a normal human.

Gather round kids, Brennan’s leading storytime

 

[Bleu Raeder]

I’ll be 48 in a couple of weeks. My wife and I will be married for 25 years in 3 weeks. My daughter turns 19 in a month and my son turns 21 in December. I know I’m old, but I don’t physically feel like it yet, and I attribute that to just regular exercise which I’m grateful I can still do.
Mentally and emotionally, I feel it though. I’m less likely to choke someone out these days, that’s for sure.

Mentally, I am always 30-ish. Many folks that I talk to feel the same way.

And from my POV...you're still a young man.

 

[Sailorsaint]

I’ll be 48 in a couple of weeks. My wife and I will be married for 25 years in 3 weeks. My daughter turns 19 in a month and my son turns 21 in December. I know I’m old, but I don’t physically feel like it yet, and I attribute that to just regular exercise which I’m grateful I can still do.
Mentally and emotionally, I feel it though. I’m less likely to choke someone out these days, that’s for sure.

I wish I was 48 again. Seems my body has broken down a lot in the last 10+ years.

 

[Brennan77]

Gather round kids, Brennan’s leading storytime

Hehe. I'm a sleepy, boring middle aged dad so there's not much to it. But I'll humor you.

Just about every Sunday I go with my family to a busy breakfast place to get a quick bite. They don't have table service. You order your food and then look for a table, which can be a little challenging on a busy morning. Fortunately, this place is pretty quick so by the time you order there's usually someone getting up from a table. As we were placing our order (myself, my 4 and 6 year olds, my 39 week pregnant wife), a table cleared and it looked like as usual we would slide in to the newly open accommodations. But that was not to be. Some clever guy that had just arrived with his party at the back of the line took it upon himself to claim the table and set up shop. This denied my family a place to sit even as we stood there with hot coffee in hand, super pregnant wife, and bouncing kids.

I normally wouldn't say anything but I'm sort of living on the edge these last few weeks. Personal and professional life has been great but very stressful. Anyway, this grown man with his grown adult friends thought it reasonable to hawk a table ahead of a family with a very pregnant mom and small children and it just sort of put me in a place I don't often go, which is one of confrontation over an unjust yet trivial matter. So I said my brief piece about it and the gentleman took offense and suggested that I was being disrespectful for mentioning his behavior. This lead to a short argumentative exchange. He happened to mention his own children (not present) after which I expressed my hope that he taught them better manners than he had exhibited in that moment. /endscene

Unfortunately I let it get the better of my mood for the next bit of time. I probably should not have confronted the guy in such an obvious way.

 

[bonnjer]

Unfortunately I let it get the better of my mood for the next bit of time. I probably should not have confronted the guy in such an obvious way.

No, it sounds like that's exactly what that dick needed. Probably won't do much good, but doesn't hurt to put people in their place every now and then.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Hehe. I'm a sleepy, boring middle aged dad so there's not much to it. But I'll humor you.

Just about every Sunday I go with my family to a busy breakfast place to get a quick bite. They don't have table service. You order your food and then look for a table, which can be a little challenging on a busy morning. Fortunately, this place is pretty quick so by the time you order there's usually someone getting up from a table. As we were placing our order (myself, my 4 and 6 year olds, my 39 week pregnant wife), a table cleared and it looked like as usual we would slide in to the newly open accommodations. But that was not to be. Some clever guy that had just arrived with his party at the back of the line took it upon himself to claim the table and set up shop. This denied my family a place to sit even as we stood there with hot coffee in hand, super pregnant wife, and bouncing kids.

I normally wouldn't say anything but I'm sort of living on the edge these last few weeks. Personal and professional life has been great but very stressful. Anyway, this grown man with his grown adult friends thought it reasonable to hawk a table ahead of a family with a very pregnant mom and small children and it just sort of put me in a place I don't often go, which is one of confrontation over an unjust yet trivial matter. So I said my brief piece about it and the gentleman took offense and suggested that I was being disrespectful for mentioning his behavior. This lead to a short argumentative exchange. He happened to mention his own children (not present) after which I expressed my hope that he taught them better manners than he had exhibited in that moment. /endscene

Unfortunately I let it get the better of my mood for the next bit of time. I probably should not have confronted the guy in such an obvious way.

I feel these exchanges aren’t meant to fix a situation at the moment- if a guy is tool enough to manifest destiny a seat going against the culture of an establishment, then he’s unlikely to correct the behavior right then
But maybe next time he won’t manspread

 

[Paul]

Hehe. I'm a sleepy, boring middle aged dad so there's not much to it. But I'll humor you.

Just about every Sunday I go with my family to a busy breakfast place to get a quick bite. They don't have table service. You order your food and then look for a table, which can be a little challenging on a busy morning. Fortunately, this place is pretty quick so by the time you order there's usually someone getting up from a table. As we were placing our order (myself, my 4 and 6 year olds, my 39 week pregnant wife), a table cleared and it looked like as usual we would slide in to the newly open accommodations. But that was not to be. Some clever guy that had just arrived with his party at the back of the line took it upon himself to claim the table and set up shop. This denied my family a place to sit even as we stood there with hot coffee in hand, super pregnant wife, and bouncing kids.

I normally wouldn't say anything but I'm sort of living on the edge these last few weeks. Personal and professional life has been great but very stressful. Anyway, this grown man with his grown adult friends thought it reasonable to hawk a table ahead of a family with a very pregnant mom and small children and it just sort of put me in a place I don't often go, which is one of confrontation over an unjust yet trivial matter. So I said my brief piece about it and the gentleman took offense and suggested that I was being disrespectful for mentioning his behavior. This lead to a short argumentative exchange. He happened to mention his own children (not present) after which I expressed my hope that he taught them better manners than he had exhibited in that moment. /endscene

Unfortunately I let it get the better of my mood for the next bit of time. I probably should not have confronted the guy in such an obvious way.

I’m with you all the way on this - every now and then, you end up pointing something out to someone regarding their behavior. Sometimes, it’s a simple oversight on the other person’s part and sometimes they’re intentionally non-caring. If I were there as a customer observing this, you and your family would have had that table and I would have helped you deal with that guy. I’m not talking ugly or physical, just saying.

Very minor example. I was at the airport two weeks ago and went into the bathroom. There’s a line - not too bad. Guy walks in with his kid, maybe 4 years-old, and they stand behind me. “Daddy, I really gotta go!” The kid is doing the I really gotta go dance that we’ve probably all experienced. His dad is like, “we just have to wait, buddy”. Then another guy comes in after them and he gets in line. You know how some of our restrooms have the lower urinal? Well, someone had finished up and walked away so I tell the guy behind me with the little dude to go grab it as the other men can wait a little longer, and the two guys in front of me were cool with it. The dude that came in last then pushes past to go and I’m like, “nah, that’s for the kid to use. Let’s be considerate.” If looks could kill, I wouldn’t be typing this, but he stopped and let the man bring his son over.
I mean, come on man.

 

[Sailorsaint]

Yep....

 

[CajunInVA]

My neighborhood had a small get together for families this past weekend. Seems like the neighborhood is populated by mostly young professionals and a few retirees. I may have been the only Gen X there - everyone else was a Millennial or Boomer (or Gen Jones, per recent thread). It was interesting to see the other dads stand around talking about what their preferred spiked/hard seltzer was. No beers to be seen anywhere, not even craft ones. When I call my buddies, we go have a beer, not a Truly/White Claw/Vizzy/etc. I guess my generation has missed the message on this one...

 

[GeauxWhoDats]

Hehe. I'm a sleepy, boring middle aged dad so there's not much to it. But I'll humor you.

Just about every Sunday I go with my family to a busy breakfast place to get a quick bite. They don't have table service. You order your food and then look for a table, which can be a little challenging on a busy morning. Fortunately, this place is pretty quick so by the time you order there's usually someone getting up from a table. As we were placing our order (myself, my 4 and 6 year olds, my 39 week pregnant wife), a table cleared and it looked like as usual we would slide in to the newly open accommodations. But that was not to be. Some clever guy that had just arrived with his party at the back of the line took it upon himself to claim the table and set up shop. This denied my family a place to sit even as we stood there with hot coffee in hand, super pregnant wife, and bouncing kids.

I normally wouldn't say anything but I'm sort of living on the edge these last few weeks. Personal and professional life has been great but very stressful. Anyway, this grown man with his grown adult friends thought it reasonable to hawk a table ahead of a family with a very pregnant mom and small children and it just sort of put me in a place I don't often go, which is one of confrontation over an unjust yet trivial matter. So I said my brief piece about it and the gentleman took offense and suggested that I was being disrespectful for mentioning his behavior. This lead to a short argumentative exchange. He happened to mention his own children (not present) after which I expressed my hope that he taught them better manners than he had exhibited in that moment. /endscene

Unfortunately I let it get the better of my mood for the next bit of time. I probably should not have confronted the guy in such an obvious way.

People are just raised with a different set of values unfortunately. It can go against everything that we were taught growing up. I had an example of this recently. I was exiting the local coffee shop that I frequent. As I am exiting I see a lady walking towards me and the door is pretty heavy so I hold the door open for her. By normal standards and judging a book by it's cover I could see that this lady approximately 10 years my senior with short hair in a mullet cut with blue jeans, t-shirt and skin with the texture of saddle-leather was probably on the team that enjoyed the company of other ladies. As she walked by she acknowledged me and said "Thanks" and I out of instinct said "Yes ma'am". She quickly turned around and let me know right then and there that I had not business calling her "ma'am". I was taken back and it really caught me off-guard. I automatically responded with "I am sorry, forgive me" thinking that would de-escalate the situation, she then hit me with "You should respect who I am" and that is when I snapped and lost it. I responded with a "No ma'am, I respect my Mother a hell of lot more than I respect you and she is the one that taught me to always be a gentleman". I turned around and immediately went to my vehicle. I heard some choices words from her and I did not acknowledge them.

I was in the wrong on this but I still don't feel an ounce of remorse, not out of hatred or bigotry but because I responded with how I was raised and how I have raised my children. If a set of morals based on politeness to strangers is considered wrong today then I will continue to remain in the wrong.

 

[Nisey55]

People are just raised with a different set of values unfortunately. It can go against everything that we were taught growing up. I had an example of this recently. I was exiting the local coffee shop that I frequent. As I am exiting I see a lady walking towards me and the door is pretty heavy so I hold the door open for her. By normal standards and judging a book by it's cover I could see that this lady approximately 10 years my senior with short hair in a mullet cut with blue jeans, t-shirt and skin with the texture of saddle-leather was probably on the team that enjoyed the company of other ladies. As she walked by she acknowledged me and said "Thanks" and I out of instinct said "Yes ma'am". She quickly turned around and let me know right then and there that I had not business calling her "ma'am". I was taken back and it really caught me off-guard. I automatically responded with "I am sorry, forgive me" thinking that would de-escalate the situation, she then hit me with "You should respect who I am" and that is when I snapped and lost it. I responded with a "No ma'am, I respect my Mother a hell of lot more than I respect you and she is the one that taught me to always be a gentleman". I turned around and immediately went to my vehicle. I heard some choices words from her and I did not acknowledge them.

I was in the wrong on this but I still don't feel an ounce of remorse, not out of hatred or bigotry but because I responded with how I was raised and how I have raised my children. If a set of morals based on politeness to strangers is considered wrong today then I will continue to remain in the wrong.

Yes, you were wrong but you did apologize and they should have let it go at that.
When someone thanks me I try to keep it "no problem" or anytime.