People With Young Coworkers Divulge The Moment They Thought 'I'm Officially Old'
Reddit user redmambo_no6 asked: 'Redditors with younger coworkers, what was your “I’m officially old” moment?'
The realization you're getting older can smack you in the face at any given time, and boy-howdy is it fun!
It can be in the morning when you get up out of bed, and your body makes crackling noises, or when you can't seem to keep up at the gym and you cut short your running time on the treadmill.
That's just the physical.
When you suddenly have the epiphany that you're suddenly the oldest one in a group setting, it's humbling.
Curious to hear from strangers online who are no longer the young whipper-snappers they imagined themselves to eternally be, Redditor redmambo_no6 asked:
"Redditors with younger coworkers, what was your 'I’m officially old' moment?"
These moments of realization never get old. But people do.
Senior Kitty
"My childhood cat lived to 21.5 so teaching (freshman biology lab, so students were ~18) became very weird when I realized my cat was older than my students."
– mollusck_magic
Aging In Reverse
"I'm a preschool teacher. It's been a TRIP to watch parents go from Soooo much older than me, to the same age as me, and now they're younger than me!?!?"
– Smart_Alex
The Shook Pediatrician
"My kids pediatrician was also my husband's pediatrician when he was a kid. He was the first kid she had to come back as a parent and she was SHOOK."
– trixtred
Older Together
"See, that's what really kinda drives it home for me."
"I'm not bothered that I'm 48. But that means my school friends are 48, and that's weird for some reason. Like, I went to school with a guy who was wild and crazy. That guy is 48 now, and has a new grandbaby. Somehow, he's old, and I'm just 'getting up there '."
– ThatWeirdTexan
Relics of the past don't just pertain to humans.
Dialing It In
"Had a co-worker ask me, 'Back before cell phones, did you just have to wait around at your house for a call?' Uh, yeah, pretty much."
– Status-Effort-9380
"Reminds me of having to explain the concept of collect calls to my kids. The whole speed speaking where you were for pick up during the recording so your Mama never accepted the collect call."
– DaraScot
Legendary Aircraft
"Various colleagues were debating whether the Concorde had been real. They couldn’t fathom that supersonic civilian aircraft used to exist and now they don’t anymore."
"The Concorde last flew in 2003, when these colleagues were toddlers."
– geckos_are_weirdos
Foreign References
"We were talking about where we were on 9/11, and my coworker went quiet. He wasn’t even born."
"We also had a band that was famous in the 90s stay at the hotel, and he had no idea who they were, meanwhile I was so star struck as they were my entire childhood!"
– Itsagabby
Gravity is not our friend, and not just because of its effect on our faces.
The Day It Went Downhill
"When i fell down the last couple of steps on a stairway. No one pointed and laughed like I expected, instead they helped me up and asked me if I was okay. That’s when I knew."
– day_of_duke
It's About The Recovery
"F'k. That has to be a bummer."
"You fall. You know you're fine. You feel like an idiot. You get ready to wave to the crowd as they laugh and clap. But then... a hand is placed on your arm and you hear 'that was a big fall, are you ok?' You stay in shock for a moment. Of course, you're fine. Everyone is looking at you. They all have concerned faces. Sh*t. Two weeks later, the soreness finally subsides."
– minimalfighting
Ice Slip, You Slip, We All Slip
"This happened to me as well....walking my dog the day after a huge snowstorm. There were some rowdy teenage boys having a snowball fight across the street (schools were closed that day, of course). I slipped on the ice, my feet flew over my head and I landed solidly on my backside. As I struggled to get up I braced myself for the laughter and catcalls, but all I heard was "Are you OK Ma'am??' 'Do you need help??' I was in my early 50s and had never felt 'old' until that moment."
– Ouisch
Conversations with younger coworkers can be fun.
You can quote lines from your favorite TV shows and talk about the latest CD you bought at Target and brag about your new digital camera that takes better pictures than a smartphone.
And then you can watch the blank expressions on your coworkers' faces because they haven't a clue about what you speak.
Yeah. This has never happened to me...
Old.
All of us more than likely broke at least one rule while in school.
There were, of course, the class clowns and bullies who made an effort to break school rules, just for the sake of it.
But then there were those whose absolute worst nightmare was getting in trouble, who still found themselves breaking one or more rules.
However, they more than likely broke these rules without even realizing it, as many schools have a long list or rules that students, and more than likely several teachers, might not even have been aware of.
For aside from the obvious rules, no running in the hall, no cheating, some school administrators might have gone above and beyond to ensure discipline in their schools.
Thus instituting rules ranging from understandable to utterly ludicrous.
"What's the dumbest rule your school ever enforced?"
Dress Code!
"Not being allowed to wear hoodies/jackets or sweaters that lacked the official school logo."
"I was a high school teacher for several years, both buildings I worked in were FREEZING, and having admin pull students out of my classroom during a 50 minute period & giving them detention instead of letting them LEARN is cruel and completely unnessesary, in my opinion."- Master_Catch_9089
Logic Prevails!
"My school had 3 staircases along a very long corridor."
"We were banned from using the middle staircase because it got overcrowded."
"The ban was lifted once they realized it only made the other two staircases just as crowded."- bignastty·
Show Everyone How Happy You Are!
"At my kids' elementary school students had to smile while walking in the hall."- HitchhikingCats
Awkward Smile GIFGiphyCoordinated Defiance
"If you throw snowballs, you get a one day suspension."
"The first long weekend after a snowfall everyone would throw snowballs to get an additional day added to the long weekend."- MrFake_Name
Sound In Theory, Lethal In Practice...
"You had to wear your ID around your neck on a rope thing."
"Then the chokings started."- the-zoidberg
Forbidden Sweets
"Candy canes were outlawed because you could sharpen them to a point and use them as a shiv."
"I went to school in rural Washington."
"We definitely weren’t somewhere that shankings were to be expected."- MisterComrade
Santa Claus Christmas GIF by Emo DíazGiphyFlaws With Bureaucracy...
"I got Saturday school for missing a day of classes when I was 16."
"Seems reasonable, except I missed to go complete my US citizenship and officially become a citizen alongside my mom, it took us 12 years to go through the legal process, btw."
"Whole other issue."
"I had a note from my mother as well as a signed official Federal form they give you to explain to school/employers why you were absent."
"Apparently the only acceptable absence excuse was illness."
"I got punished for becoming a citizen."- Lumpy_Constellation
Silence Is Golden
"Elementary school principal banned talking at lunch."
"If you were caught talking or even signing to someone, you had to go sit by yourself on a folding chair with no table."
"There was once my mom came to eat lunch with my older sister and I."
"The principal was like 'Oh you should go eat out in the hallway with your daughters' and she was like 'nah, I'm gonna sit here with my daughter and her friends and talk to them and enjoy their presence'."
"Usually if a parent came for lunch the student could invite one friend to join, unless you had siblings."
"Then it was too many people so you couldn't invite a friend."
"Anyway, one of my older sister's friends whispered to my mom that she was going to move so she wouldn't get in trouble for talking."
"THIS WAS A NINE YEAR OLD."- passatcar
no talking total physical response GIF by ALO7.comGiphySo Much For Standing Up For Yourself...
"That if you say/do anything back to your bully it becomes a mutual conflict and isn't bullying."
"So if they start calling you slurs and making you feel bad every day and you call them stupid once or twice the school probably won't help."
"Also dress code required school branded hoodies.'
"They were 50 dollars."
"If you wore a non school hoodie you got in school suspension."- wowthatfood
Many would say "the rules are not meant to be broken".
However, one should stop and reflect when certain rules were implemented, and what exactly they were intended to prevent.
As these rules might actually be impossible for many to follow.
Then too, one can't help but wonder if people might be better off breaking these outdated rules?
As a human race, we know very little.
There are things that are more ancient than we realize.
So much has come before us and is still here to show us.
But, we're humans we ignore it all and just revel in the "doom to repeat" cycle.
Redditor kakou64 wanted discuss some unknown history.
"What's older than we think?"
I always enjoyed history. Though I enjoyed anything that wasn't math.
older than bread...
Chicken Wings Love GIF by Buffalo Wild WingsGiphy"Beer is thought to be older than bread. It's much easier to fill a jar with wheat and water, let it ferment, and brew beer than it is to grind grain, mix it, and bake it."
4dseeall
"sparkling water"
"The first carbonated drink to be sold to the public was invented by Swiss watchmaker and amateur scientist J. J. Schweppe in 1783, who sold his delicious 'sparkling water' to thirsty customers in Geneva. In just seven years, he was doing business so fast that he moved the factory to London and introduced a new flavor, sparkling lemon, to stand out from competitors who were trying to imitate his drink."
DarkSyrupp
Finger Recognition
"Touch screens. We think they're one of the main defining features of modern technology since they only really got big in the late 2000s/early 2010s, but they were actually invented 55 years ago in 1965. It's kind of crazy to think about, but while most of our grandparents were getting rid of their black and white TVs, researchers already had touchscreen devices in the labs."
"It wasn't really until the 80s that it really got good, but by 90s it was easily sophisticated technology. In fact, Microsoft even had a Windows XP tablet out by 2001 that had seriously good finger/stylus recognition, but it didn't really pick up until smartphones became a thing a decade later."
"You could also consider the magnetic drawing board to be a touch screen since it more or less has a stylus and surface for you to draw on, but that was actually invented later than the touch screen in 1974!"
Noisetorm_
1888
"National Geographic was founded in 1888."
limgly
"Yes! I looked through the very first national geographic book and compared it to their most recent magazine and it was INSANE. Back then there were little to no pictures and it was so interesting how they conducted their experiments."
kathypop4
"This is the only one that doesn't surprise me. Anyone that has read any sign while hiking pretty much anywhere, or read any history books involving turn of the century exploring around 1900, has read about the early National Geographic society and its role in hiking/exploring."
SMcArthur
Jaws is Elderly
shark week jaws GIFGiphy"Sharks. As a species they're older than the rings of Saturn."
scannon
"Just Google it really quick. LOL. Rings of Saturn are 10 to 100 million years old whereas we have found shark scales dating back 450 million years ago. Pretty crazy stuff!"
Calfredie01
Sharks are how old? I mean... really?
Time after Time
London Sport GIF by Lord's Cricket GroundGiphy"Wristwatches. Queen Elizabeth I got one in 1571."
Aqquila89
"Just going to drop this here. We had alarm clocks that rowed themselves down a table and shot off mini cannons in the 1500s."
ineedanewaccountpls
semi-functioning...
"The electric car. What is likely the first human-carrying electric vehicle with its own power source was tested along a Paris street in April 1881 by French inventor Gustave Trouvé. The first crude electric car was built in the 1830s but it was essentially a semi-functioning model."
"The electric car was a direct competitor to gasoline powered vehicles until the 1920s when roads got better, people started driving further than the range of an electric car, and the world started finding major oil reserves."
Buwaro
The Fix
"Brain Surgery In 1997, archaeologists discovered an ancient tomb in the French village of Ensisheim from 5,000 BC, which contained the decomposing body of a 50-year-old man with holes in his skull. After a thorough examination, it was determined that the holes, located near the frontal lobe, were caused by a type of surgery, not by forced trauma, and the operation appears to have been successful because the wounds healed before the patient's death. To this day, however, researchers cannot say for sure what exactly the surgery was trying to fix."
Cato the Elder
"The sentiment that modern society is degenerate and that the youth are to blame is, iirc, one of the oldest things we have written down. That I can remember off the top of my head, Cato the Elder complained that the younger generations were becoming too greek, and Socrates used to complain that the younger generations were ruining their brains by writing instead of memorising information. There are far more older examples, but those are the oldest I remember (maybe Socrates was onto something)."
CountPeter
Jolly Good
Flying Harry Potter GIF by The Story RoomGiphy"I was really surprised to discover when Oxford university was founded. They don’t know the year for sure, but they know there was definitely teaching going on there in 1096."
princess_mothership
I feel ready for 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?'"
There are many TV shows with compelling themes and interesting character developments that impressed both critics and audiences alike back in the day.
But some of the shows that once captivated audiences have not aged well, and there are many elements in them that are outdated by today's standards.
Curious to hear examples of these, Redditor lilac_cup asked:
"Which tv series has aged like milk?"
The handling of these controversial TV story lines seem so careless in retrospect.
Addressing Child Abuse
"The very first episode of Hill Street Blues has two cops breaking up a domestic disturbance caused by a woman finding her man f'king her 15yo daughter. The man is told not to be sh**ty, the woman is told to put out more and the child is told not to be so tempting. Then the cops leave, patting themselves on the back for a job well done."
– kifferella
The Teacher's Secret Relationship
"Pretty Little Liars. I think even at the time, the teacher dating his 16 year old student storyline was considered creepy, but in 2022 it’s honestly unbelievable that was ever portrayed in any kind of positive light. Also that her parents didn’t immediately just report him to the police."
– ColdFIREBaker
Forbidden Attraction
"Not the whole series but Ally McBeal. In one episode Ally found out her bf is bi and her reason breaking up with him was she afraid that one day her bf would be attracted to their son."
– thrussie
These reality shows would never fly in a "woke" world.
Racist Cringe
"There was a reality show on Fox called 'Black. White.' Where they put a white family in blackface and a black family in whiteface."
"Just reading about it, it turns out the white family wasn't even a real family. They were unrelated actors."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black._White.
– MichaelJAwesome
Extreme Makeover
"Extreme makeover. I remember watching this show as a kid and being like oh wow they’re fixing all these ugly people with plastic surgery and making them happy. I just think that caused a whole generation to think they could change their body with money. Show lasted like 4 seasons. Couldn’t imagine that show today."
– thenightshifters
Teen Exploitation
"Secret life of an American teenager."
"Just what…."
– carlirodriguez8
A Critique
"My god this show was terrible. My wife’s sister was into it and we ended up watching a lot of it when we were dating. I think they tried to make the banter like Gilmore Girls, but it ended up being the characters repeating their current plots and arcs over and over. I don’t remember the characters at all, but the main character was such a horrible person, and the audience is supposed to root for her."
"The main things I remember about it were the religious girl claiming she killed her dad by having sex with her boyfriend, and apparently you go to Bologna to get bjs."
– MachFighterG
So-Called Expert
"You Are What You Eat."
"Host Gillian McKeith (or to use her full medical title, Gillian McKeith) was an absolute quack with an online medical qualification from a Mickey Mouse university. She pretended to be a scientist by being recorded standing around in a lab wearing a white coat, spouted unscientific nonsense that anyone who had done a GCSE in science could see through, and was obsessed with getting people to shit in Tupperware boxes."
"It got cancelled after the final series when you had to have her move in with you. In the last few years she popped up again as a prominent anti-vaxxer once COVID vaccines became available."
– MattBD
These pageant shows glorifying good looks and talent would never be greenlit today.
Performing Pressure
"Dance moms- used to be entertaining, now all I can see is the psychological effects it must’ve had on those girls."
– KE789
"Americas Next Top Model has to be #1."
"From all the behind the scenes sh*t that went on in production to what the show actually shows. It’s all just horrendous."
– Nickster1619
From Ugly To Beautiful
"The Swan, was 2 women who are considered 'ugly ducklings' participating in a pageant against each other after undergoing a three-month transformative process aka having heaps of plastic surgery."
– twozedzed
Psychological Downer
"Right?! How were they allowed to do so many procedures in such a short time while completely isolating these women from their families? Making them diet and exercise while healing from a tummy tuck, breast implants, and veneers?! The 'therapy' sessions were a joke and were just for show while these poor women with low self esteem were preyed upon for entertainment. Just out of a safety and medical prospective…wow."
– Snoo-8746
Judging The Reflection
"Didn't they also not allow the contestants/patients to have mirrors the whole time so they were surprised when they saw themselves? Psychologically having massive changes like that and it being sudden is extremely bad for your brain, you can end up rejecting the reflection because it's not 'you.'"
– Delouest
As audiences evolve, so does the writing and development of all forms of entertainment.
But because the changes are gradual, it is jarring when looking back and noticing how offensive and isolating some of these shows can be.
Times sure have changed in the world of entertainment–mostly for the better.
People Confess Which Discontinued Items They Want To See Make A Comeback
Ice cream lovers of the 90s fondly remember Viennetta, an ice cream cake made of ripples of vanilla ice cream and compound chocolate which made one feel like they were eating something they'd be served in a high-end patisserie, and not found in your supermarket's frozen aisle.
While Breyer's discontinued Viennetta in the late 1990s, Good Humor delighted fans when they began to redistribute it in January of 2021.
If Viennetta could find its way back into the frozen aisle, one can't help but think about other long-discontinued things we would love to see back in action.
Be it a flavor of ice cream, potato chip or soft drink, a former TV show, a festival or parade, or even modes of transportation, who doesn't occasionally find themselves falling down a nostalgic rabbit hole and wonder "if only..."
"What discontinued thing do you really want brought back?"
One And Done
"Paying once for work software, like Microsoft word or Adobe PDF, and actually owning it thereafter without having to pay a monthly subscription fee."- dusmeyedin
So Much More Than Instructions
"Physical video game manuals or magazines."
"They were so f*cking cool before and then they decided to just stop doing them."-
Film Over Digital Any Day!
"Kodachrome ."
"I grew up looking at photos my amateur photographer father took on the stock."
"When I got old enough to start taking pictures myself they discontinued it."
"Nothing captures colors quite the same way."- iehsuen
women in film cinematography GIF by This Is What A Film Director Looks LikeGiphyBring Back The Lock And Key!
"Not having to download an app for everything."
"The pool at my apartment complex is only accessible by scanning a QR code on a specific app just for the pool now."
"It's ridiculous."- LowerPatience207
The Way Apple Pie Should Be!
"Deep-fried McDonald’s apple pie."
"The one from the 1980s to 1990s."
"The one that was crispy and the temperature of molten plutonium inside."
"That was the best."- newnhb1
Bonus Purchases!
"Getting a poster that is a map of the game world with the purchase of a game."- Bubbly_Information50
"Surprises in the cereal boxes!"
"Not the 'enter two codes inside on our website' bull."
"Actual, physical THINGS in a package floating somewhere in that box of Cheerios!"- sathil-42
general mills cereal GIFGiphyCake In A Box!
"The Philadephia Cheesecake Bars."
"I loved the strawberry ones, I can't remember if there were other flavors."- CrimsonRaven712
Everyone's Entitled To Their Opinion...
"The dislike option on YouTube."- TheKillerNut
"Dislike button on YouTube and Amazon."
"F*cking fuckups always fucking with sh*t."
"You're not fixing broken things, so f*ck off."
"Thank you for letting me vent."
"Apologies to sensitive eyes."
"On the flip side, can we discontinue that steaming pile of sh*t called Microsoft Teams?"- NeverEnoughCoffeeMan
Those Were The Good Old Days...
"Borders bookstores."- TripotapusRex
People Hello GIF by InnovatorsBoxGiphyBitesize Heaven!
"Butterfinger bb’s."- Ok_Tank2946
Caffeine At It's Finest!
"I want 7-11 to bring back their coffee slurpee."
"It sounds bad but mix it with coke and it’s the best thing ever."- williambilliam272
Even Better Than The Real Thing!
"The banana ice cream thing."
"It's a banana shape ice cream under a peel and you peel it off, and bam the delicious flavor hits."- Comfortable_Ad8409
Banana Bread GIF by Super SimpleGiphy9 out of 10 Dentists Would Agree...
"Chewing gum without artificial sweetener."- Lord_Curtain
Who Cares About One's Breath...
"O'Ryan's Thick-Cut Sour Cream and Onion Ripple Chips."
"They were loaded with seasoning and I loved them as a kid."- Tortoisefly
The Trifecta!
"Arch Deluxe, Crystal Pepsi, and free Hulu lol."- LittleWhip138
Arch Deluxe Burger GIFGiphyAnd Not From A Tree...
"Old fruit snacks."- Pittmanizzle
Nothing Beats A Little Morning Chocolate
"Carnation chocolate chip breakfast bars."
"I loved them and they don't even make them anymore."- jibek_kwe
Bite Sized Valentine...
"Campinos."
"I loved those strawberry sweets and nothing else is like them."- LavitzandDart
Food Raining GIF by mybluGiphyFrom horseradish and cheddar potato chips to Game Boys, we all have things we wish would make a return.
However, sometimes not having access to things we once loved is just what it takes to encourage ourselves to try a new experience.
...Only to find it discontinued five years later.