Wedding receptions

It’s a shock isn’t it. The only positive is at least we’re here to witness these wonderful events unlike some of our peers. I watch as my own children move to centre stage as I move out.

I'll bear that in mind.?We have just booked my daughter's wedding reception. Lipstick

Lipstick??? Where did that come from?

I suppose the point I was trying to make is about the way old age creeps up on you, taking you by surprise. One day you think of yourself just as a person, like everyone else, then suddenly you realise that other folk must be seeing you as an old person.

Wddding receptions are one of the few social occasions where you see the whole range of age groups socialising together, but the oldies, the grannies are in a minority. They fill a niche. I never saw myself filling that role until it happened, and it was a bit of a shock.

At family gatherings now, we have moved up the chain to be the oldest in the room. It's great. We're guaranteed a good seat.

I remember from childhood miscellaneous elderly people at family gatherings; great aunts and uncles, friends of my grandparents. They all looked alike and I was never quite sure which was which and what their relationship to me was.

We went to a family gathering with friends so close we see each other as family and I could see her DGC looking at DH and I in just the way I used to look at miscellaneous elderly people at family gatherings at their ages.

On boarding a bus the driver was remonstrating with a couple of teenagers for messing around. 'You might have hurt that old woman'. I had been upstairs for about seven minutes into my journey wondering if I hadn't noticed someone else getting on. The penny dropped and it makes me laugh every time I think about it. To see ourselves as others see us right enough!

One of my in-laws is from a culture where the terms 'Auntie/Uncle' (no other names just one word) are used as a term of respect for older people. The first time that I attended a function where all those of my children's age (30s/40s) referred to me as 'Auntie' (with respect for their elders obvious) was a bit of a facer... . I've got used to it now - & I like the fact that they're all so polite to me...

Oh Kim19 that did make me laugh!

My DGS1 says "Nan is old" but Granny is "really old", I'm 62 & DM turns 89 this month. We are definitely the "older generation" in our small family unit

I certainly agree with your point varian
‘I suppose the point I was trying to make is about the way old age creeps up on you, taking you by surprise. One day you think of yourself just as a person, like everyone else, then suddenly you realise that other folk must be seeing you as an old person‘.
About 3 years ago I was chatting with friends and exercise related stories came up in the conversation. Doing sit ups. I said it was always slightly easier to do it with bent knees when lying down but that I hadn’t done one in a long time. When I got home I thought I’d try a couple just to see. Turns out I couldn’t do even one! All this time here was I thinking I’d just chosen not to do them anymore! Didn’t realise I actually couldn’t..... ?

My small granddaughter made me laugh a while ago. She had a new friend to play and pointed me out saying " that's my Granny she's old, I've got another Granny and she's even older than her"! I'm glad she at least recognised this as DD1's MIL is 30 years older than me! SIL is 16 years older than DD and I had my children much earlier than the other Granny

I was teaching a young boy and he was telling me about his Granny. Apparently, "She is 62 and not even dead"! I'm a year older and I'm not either

I was in M&S one day last week. I dropped something and was just going to pick it up when a floor walker came rushing up. “Are you alright Madam” he said as he scooped my things up. “Yes. Thank you” I said while thinking, “for goodness sake does he think I’m old!!” Then it dawned on me. I AM old!!

GrandmasueUk thanks for that share I just burst out laughing! My tonic for the day which I intend to share with others this afternoon!

My grandson age 5 was asking me where my mother was and if I had ever had a husband. I explained that sadly they were both dead and had gone to heaven. He looked at my 70 yo self,and thought, then gave me hug and said kindly “Don’t worry Nanna you’ll see them again soon”.

My mother had her first child, a boy, at 28. When he was three, he was sitting on her knee and inspecting her hair which started to go grey early, He told her" Mummy, your hair's going grey, I expect you'll soon be dead." She lived to 93!

We were talking to two neighbours this morning. They are about 70. They said that during the recent snow two different people had knocked their door and asked if they needed anything from the shop. They were shocked as they are fit and healthy and look after their grandchildren every day, but they are perceived to be past it by middle aged people.

I went to Doctors today for my final ever smear she asked had I had a baby in the last 3 months ! Don't feel old at all !

I laughed really hard when I read this gem from a child's perspective....it appeared as a meme on FB some time ago and it went something like this:

"My grandma is very, very old but her mother is even older! She's so old she can pull out her teeth and her gums, all at the same time"

I was reading the usual complaint online about some old guy who had parked in the mother and child spaces and ignored the person who put him right. Se said he was about 60! The online community came to the defence of old man needing to access the supermarket. Made me feel ancient at 65, though I can still walk across car parks!

Love that oldandbold, children don't pull their punches do they.

When I was small, so I ‘m told, I carefully covered DGM with a rug and and said, “You go to sleep and the angels will come and take you away.” Luckily she thought this funny. She lived for another 30 years, dying at 93.

A few years ago I was playing on the floor with two of my grandsons then aged 4 and 5. The 4 year old was being a bit boisterous and his thoughtful elder brother remonstrated with him, " Careful, she's an old woman". I was torn between appreciating his concern and his view of me.