I was at the pet store the other week to get a new fish and the cheeky young male employee was asking me about my aquarium and pronounced, “you’re a good fish-daddy!”
Fish daddy? Daddy??? C’mere kid, I gotchur daddy right here! Oh wait. I guess I am old enough to be your dad. But don’t call me daddy!
Last night I tried to explain to my 4-yr-old what a typewriter is (was). She can’t imagine life before the Internet.
I do that automatically to every male that holds the door over 21 so dont’ be insulted. To me, it is just a term of politeness.
I tend to um…*exhale loudly * when I have to bend over and pick something up.
Last week I cancelled my Sears credit card. I’d had the thing for 20 years!
My daughter’s utter befuzzlement when presented with a rotary phone. I about fell on the floor laughing as she poked her fingers through the holes, asking “how do you dial this thing?”
Antinor01 and levdrakon, I find unless well-written, I will skip over graphic sex scenes in novels.
Most recently two things:
When I found out the “girl” my “little” brother (46) is dating is 50 years old–and then realizing that that’s perfectly appropriate.
Watching a recent episode of “Spongebob Squarepants” with my kids, which was full of references to the 60’s–Yellow Submarine, the Monkees, cheesy Saturday morning kids’ show hosts–and realizing there was no way I could explain that to them.
I’m not old. That was a typo on the class reunion announcement a few years ago. 20 years? Impossible. I didn’t go because obviously the intelligence of those people hasn’t increased since 1986 - it’s only been 10 years, maybe not even that long.
Sorry…hamsters took a nap.
When I see a criminal defendant who was born AFTER I graduated law school.
I feel a story from my grandpa is appropriate here. Last year on my father’s birthday, he asked my mother, “How old is he this year anyway? I forget.” My mom replied, “He’s 46.” Grandpa asked, “And how old are you?” Mom, seeing where this was going, told him she was 47, I was 24, and my brother was going to be 11 soon.
Grandpa digests this a moment.
“Well. No wonder I’m 80!”
Love it.
Yes, he’s adorable. 
I also forgot one of my own: the neighbor kids gave us the old ding-dong-ditch last summer. I opened the door and heard pattering sneakers and started cracking up.
Then I realized that I was now one of those people who got ding-dong-ditched. sigh
I teach students I’m old enough to be a parent to. sigh It’ll be worse when I teach students I’m old enough to be a grandparent to.
I was “carded” the other day at the grocery store for some wine.
I am 60, with a very white goatee.
And while I’m sure the young female checker meant it in a friendly, joshing way, it did point out that I had finally gotten to the stage where I am looked upon as a harmless geezer who might appreciate being thought younger, even as a joke.
But, it could be worse, I guess. In the last decade there had been times when I would pull up on my bicycle next to a car at a stop light and hear the loud thunk of the electric door locks being activated. Better to be thought a kindly grandfather than a potential predator.
(Of course, I *am * a kindly grandfather. Doesn’t take much running around with 8 grandkids at holiday family get-togethers to be reminded that things don’t quite work as they did at 30.)
You mean when a mom brings her kid in and says “You’ll just love Ms Phouka, I have fond memories of when she was my teacher.”?
I think he meant the HIGH SCHOOL freshmen.
I know a few guys who are dating way too young Eastern European girls
About Ally McBeal…I have something to tell you which might not make you feel any better about your age…
My mom experienced this - she had one of the kids she taught in elementary school bring her own daughter in to the English school my mom was working at over twenty years later. Kinda freaked her out.
I’ve saw the other side of this coin recently. I noticed the birth date of a high school pupil who is about to disappear off to music college: December 30th 1989. I told her ‘I was born in 1980. You’re one of my favourite people.’ Thankfully, she figured out what I was on about!
I also have a couple of white hairs. One in my beard. (TMI? 
)
I also hate the situation of talking to a parent of a prospective violin pupils, who remarks ‘I was worried she might be a bit young’. I glance at the application form, and on seeing the 2000/2001/2002/etc date, grimace and say ‘no, that’s fine’…
There are schoolmates of mine who are probably traumatised for life, from being taught rugby tackles from somebody who taught their grandfather :eek:
First day of college (returning student at 32) in 2002, the kid behind me says his name at roll call and I recognize the last name. “Hey, I had a fifth-grade teacher with the same last name, do you know Carol Russek?”, I say to him. “That’s my mom,”, he replies, “When did you have her?” “1981”, I say. “Oh, I was born that July.”
He was the baby I saw in her tummy, growing over the last half of my fifth grade year. He’s the baby I learned about sex ed around. And here he is killing one more liberal arts class in summer session in order to get his bachelor’s degree, and I’m just starting mine.
Old isn’t all I felt.
I always say “Sir” even when a guy opens a door for me. Even when he is obviously younger than I am. I think it’s kind of classy. YMMV.
Eric
One day my students were talking about Marilyn Manson. I said, “Who’s she?”
Oh, I knew. I just like to mess with them. Obviously they don’t know that Alice Cooper was sneering and leering in my day. Popular back in…what year would that have…
OK, now I feel old.