How old…

Age is a funny thing, isn't it. My grandchildren know how old I am - we were married near my birthday, so anniversaries are always celebrated near that date - together with Mothering Sunday! I have no idea why I always thought my gran was 72, (I never knew her age), that was a long time ago, but she actually died at that age, long after she had stopped looking after me, and I have often thought it was odd that that age had stuck with me.

My eldest grandson has no problems and never has had since he could add when about 5 - he told me he knew I was 50 when he was born so he just added it to his age!!

My DGCs have no problem with my age and they know I am 60ish,the problem is with DS2 who thinks his dad and I are still as active as we where in our 40s when we go anywhere with him he is always saying "keep up at the back will you"

Lucky you absent! My grandson, then aged six-ish, was the first person (and only person, I suppose) to tell me that I am old. I hadn't realised it until then. I must have been about sixtyfive.

Little darling. evil !

Mind you, now he is twelve, he is much less rough with me (doesn't kick footballs at my head anymore). I think he is developing empathy!

Since all the GC 'officiated' at my 70th birthday party, they do know just how old I am, though it may not have sunk in with the youngest who was not quite 3 at the time - didn't stop him trying to serve drinks at the bar.

Upon telling GD2 that she was a big 4 girl now and should be more careful not to spill her juice at the table, I then knocked over a full glass of water!

After she had savoured the moment, she said, " and Granny, you're 63"

Little smart bottom!

VERY old, according to my twin grandsons last year. Old enough to remember whether dinosaurs used to eat hay!

On the subject of dinosaurs, my wee GS aged 4 has just started school and is quite a good reader. Another child brought over a plastic dinosaur and asked him if he would read on the bottom what it was. Dear GS turned it over and said "Made in China"!

DD, aged about 8, turned to me one day and said 'Mummy were you born during WW1 or WW2?'

My oldest GD, when in primary school asked, 'What did you do in the war, Granny?'. OK, I was there, but only 4 1/2 when the war ended.

My, then 6-year old GS made me an Easter card with a drawing of myself on it.
'I've taken care to get all your wrinkles in the right place Nana' he declared proudly.

And so he had

j08 Maybe your 12-year-old grandson just has better aim now.

I think my lot reckon that I am 35 because that's about the highest age they can conceive of when someone is still alive and on their feet. Anything over 20 is old when one is a child. Then there is very old – old grandma (actually great grandma) who is in her eighties – which they can also manage.

Not sure how old they thing I am but when babysitting two of my DGC they were playing on Wii (whatever it's called) They had made characters of family member and asked if they could make one of me. I of course said yes.

So it began. They could make the figure fatter, thinner, taller etc. plus facial features.

First I was a 'normal' size, then I was fatter, fatter, fatter to their amusement. They reduced my bodysize, thank goodness. Then they began on my face Blue Eyes, Small Nose, Smiley Mouth. I thought it was over with when my 8 year old DGS looked at me for a few seconds, studying my face and said to his sister aged 11 "what about the old people lines coming down from Grandma's mouth" They were promptly put on the screen. I aged about 10 years that day and have noticed my 'mouth' lines ever since.

My 7 year old granddaughter said that she hoped I would live to 100 so that she could see the card the Queen sent me. I guess that she thinks I haven't far to go

I don't know what my grandson thinks (except that I am VERY old!) but when his mother was his age I used to start all my lectures to her with "When Mummy was a little girl and everything was in black & white...." I have to admit that she never said "Don't be silly , you're not that old".

When my DDH was 44 we took our little DS and his friend for a walk in the countryside. The friend's grandfather had recently died. I was walking and chatting with him and my DDH was a little further behind with our DS. The little boy looked up at me and said "G....'s grandad isn't dead yet is he
" nodding towards my 44 year old DDH. I could not wait to tell him the story.

I bet he was glad to hear that.

My grandchildren seem to have age classifications. I am old (51) my mum is very old and my grandma is very very old. I honestly do think they understand (as much as they are able to at 7,5 and 3) that my grandma is a REALLY old lady and they get on very well with her as they seem to be on a similar wavelength. My 5 year old GD loves writing letters and her favourite recipient is my grandma. It's hard to believe that there is an almost 93 year age gap between them !

My grandson always tells everybody how old I am. If anyone says it's not nice to tell anyone your granny's age he says, "Why not?"
No answer to that, really.

Exactly Jendurham I can't see the problem either. It's weird isn't it, how we pretend to be older when we are young and then want to be younger when we are older.

gillybob How wonderful to be a five generation family and obviously close, both physically and emotionally. We made it to four generations, but only for six months. We are a family that tend to have 30 years or more between generations so my DF was 92 when he became a great grandfather and he died six months later

I once told my grandchildren that I was twenty-several and it stuck!

Minibags told everyone at primary school how old I was. She was quite proud of the fact that I was The Oldest Mum. This achievement was embellished with (embellished by?? pedants, ahoy! which is it?) the fact that I was older than the grans of several of her pals.

I agree with how odd we are, gillybob, trying to look older or younger than we are. It's almost as if we want to be in our prime all the time. Unrealistic, no? #oddspecies