No one likes to admit it, but aging is simply a fact of life. Are your favorite songs now played on classic rock radio stations? Does it seem like there is a whole new group of "celebrities" whose names you don't recognize? Are you a millennial who feels like your life is over?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then this is the article for you. Sure, it won't make you feel any younger, but cheer up, grandma, at least you're not alone.
The Reddit Thread
ImNotFunnyImJustMean, a 25-year-old Reddit user, explained that when he recently took his teen sister shopping for new clothes, everywhere he looked there were teens buying the clothes he used to buy, and "the people that looked my age were the store managers and truth be told they looked funny wearing the store's clothes."
After an existential crisis, he asked the men of Reddit, "What has made you realize you were getting old?"
"Hello, Sir..."
"When people started to address with me 'sir' in the gym." —Build1975 / Reddit
Nothing stings quite like being called "Sir" or "Ma'am," and it's usually an indicator that it's all downhill from here. For your information, I'm not "Ma'am," I'm a (27-year-old) child!
Outdated Technology
Today's kids will never know the struggle of dial-up internet, listening to music on Walkmans, or thinking you were the hottest SOB alive after setting up your MySpace page. Nothing makes a person feel old like trying to explain past technology to a new generation because forget streaming platforms, we had rewindable VHS tapes.
"One day, colleges will have a class called 'Internet: the early days'...And students will have to sit through lectures about dial-up internet and MySpace to learn how the internet evolved." —Numerous-Explorer / Reddit
Video Games
From TV shows to toys, books, and video games, nothing dates a person quite like their favorite pieces of pop culture. Unfortunately for this user, they learned they were getting old the hard way.
"There was a PlayStation 2 on display at the national museum. How old am I?!??" —Randi_Scandi / Reddit
Your Taste In Music
"Couple of years ago. I was supervising a Lollapalooza charter on a double-decker bus from Union Station train (think suburb kids) to the music festival. I had OutKast's 'Hey Ya' playing and someone asked if we had to listen to old music." —nathynwithay / Reddit
"Hey Ya" is now considered old? Okay, that one definitely hurts. I'll just take my Backstreet Boys and walk over to the retirement home, I guess.
Television Shows
It's not just a person's taste in music or video games that can date them, but also their favorite TV shows. Move over, I Love Lucy and The Brady Bunch because there's a whole new batch of old TV shows coming to join you.
"A girl in her 20s my sister works with said, 'I don't watch old TV shows' when asked if she had ever seen Dexter." —CyroClone / Reddit
I Need An Adult, I Need An Adult!
"A kid starts asking me 20 questions I answer him his older brother grabs and says 'he's a grown a** man stop bothering him.' I do not accept the responsibility that comes with that title." —Suspicious-Society-8 / Reddit
Get with it, loser, now whenever you need help from an adult, guess what? You are the adult! Sure these millennials might be laughing, but deep down, they're dying inside.
Time Means Nothing Anymore
Not only do your 20s fly by in an instant, but before you know it, the big 3-0 is barring down on you like a judgmental hurricane and you're baffled as to where the time went.
For some users, thinking the 1990s were only 10 years ago but then realizing they were actually 20 years ago hurt. Cries into a pillow.
If You Didn't Feel Bad Before...
When it comes to age, there's usually a trend with athletes in professional sport. Because it's when they're at their peak physique, a lot of athletes are usually between their teens and 30s when they compete. But despite their youthful age, some users noticed that the way these athletes are referred to doesn't exactly bode confidence for the rest of us.
"There he is 28, playing out his last string as a professional. It's a miracle." —craigularperson / Reddit
How You View The Younger Generation
It doesn't matter whether they're 12-years-old or 22-years-old. Once you reach a certain age threshold, everyone younger than you looks like a toddler.
"I work as a DJ and play a lot of nightclubs and festivals. I was playing a festival, 1am, packed tent, I'm psyched. I look out into the crowd and the whole front row looked like children to me, I wanted to give them a hot chocolate and call their parents. Then I realized it was an 18+ event and they were probably all 18-21y/o." —XRayDre / Reddit
When You Sympathize With The Adults
Whether it was Ariel in The Little Mermaid wanting to escape the ocean to find her prince or Ferris in Ferris Bueller's Day Off trying not to get caught for skipping school, you probably rooted for the youthful heroes to succeed as a kid. But as an adult, it tends to be the opposite.
Me watching The Little Mermaid as an adult - Ariel: "I'm 16 years old. I'm not a child anymore!" Me: "Yes you are, young lady, now sit down and listen to your father!"
Is It Just Body Aches, Or Impending Death?
"When I got some pain in my back and wondered if it was going to last for a day, a week, or the rest of my life." —Byizo / Reddit
A hallmark of being an adult is having constant body aches and not knowing what caused it or how long it'll last. Is It just a typical body ache or a sign of impending death? I guess you'll soon find out!
Girls' Night Out
Your teen years and early 20s are filled with sneaking out of the house, downing shots at the bar, and attending house parties with friends. I bet you remember it fondly too (that is, if your neurons weren't too fried from all the alcohol).
But when you're old, your body can't quite recover from a night of drinking like it used to, and worse still, the thought of going out at night fills you with dread. So your perfect night out consists of a large pepperoni pizza all to yourself and a Netflix marathon in bed.
It's The Little Things
"You know you're old when you get excited about new appliances. YEAH NEW STOVE." —el_covfefe / Reddit
Hey, it doesn't matter how old you get, anything that involves food is always worth getting excited about.
A Trip To The Liquor Store
One of the biggest gut-punches of realizing that you're old is when you go to pay for your purchase at a liquor store and the clerk does not ask to see your ID.
Please ID me, I need to feel young again.
Help, I've Fallen And I Can't Get Up
Another "you know you're old when..." moment that users suggested is when you accidentally fall down in public, and instead of laughing or making fun of you, people rush over to see if you're okay.
Now if you look bewildered and can't remember why you came into the store in the first place, then it's peak-grandpa.
Shades Of Gray
Another dead giveaway for users that they are getting old is when gray hairs begin to make an unwelcome appearance, either on your hair, beard, or other unmentionable areas.
Luckily for the physical pain, there's hair dye, and for the emotional pain, there's alcohol.
The People Around You
For other users, it wasn't a personal change that made them realize they were getting old, but rather, how the people around them changed.
From realizing that many youths weren't alive for major historical events, to how their own parents are now technically grandparents, or that their nephew is about to get his driver's license, it's a humbling reminder that while you're getting older, so is everyone else around you.
Today's Word Is: Denial
And when all else fails, if you're truly not ready to confront the horror that is getting old, just do what this guy did.
"My body thinks I'm 47, but my brain thinks I'm 22. I'm assuming they'll eventually sync up. Until then, I'm not old." —Slappy_J / Reddit
Look On The Bright Side
"I do believe the people born from 2005ish onwards are and will be a very different species. '90s kids got a taste of the old days before the internet really took hold. The 2000 born kids these days have been completely connected to the internet for life." —SlowDownBrother / Reddit
So, fellow grandmas and grandpas, look on the bright side. We remember a childhood before the internet existed, and I wouldn't trade those carefree memories for anything.