avrelia | (no subject)

My husband came from his class one day and announced that he learned cool stuff today:

Before twenty years old we think of ourselves as being older than we are, after twenty we are thinking that we are younger than we are.

Well, duh!

At thirteen I thought of myself an adult, at sixteen I felt I was an old, wise crone.

Now I struggle with the fact that I did grow up, and I should behave like a responsible grown-up I am (on the other hand, if all other adults think the same, who is acting as a grown-ups?)

The husband learned it in connection to marketing strategies, of course: goods meant for sixty year olds are being advertised as for forty years old, and so on.

But thirteen year-old me (as well as my friends) was fun. Climbing the trees was still acceptable pastime in our circle, but jumping through elastic band was out as too childish. Do people outside of Soviet Bloc jump through elastic band? It was fun. Besides climbing the trees we were reading books (rather adult books), having political arguments (perestroika!), and listening to the rock music.

Threaded | Flat

I read somewhere that the way we see ourselves in our mind's eye is the way we looked at 18.

No wonder looking in the mirror is always so traumatic.

The last time I really yearned to be a grown-up was when I was 4-5 years old, watching my father come home with books under his arm. After that, it was a love-hate relationship with adulthood and responsibility and everything else it entails. Also, it's definitely true that when things get rough, I look back on those simpler times with great fondness.

Now I struggle with the fact that I did grow up, and I should behave like a responsible grown-up I am (on the other hand, if all other adults think the same, who is acting as a grown-ups?)

Good question. Could this explain why we tend to mimic our parents/adult role models we had growing up, many times to our great dismay?

P.S. I was quite terrible with the elastic band thingie.