"I Had To Pull The Car Over": People Are Sharing The Startling Things That Made Them Realize They're Officially Not Young Anymore

I vividly remember, during my senior year of college, watching alumni return to campus for their ten-year reunion. All of these people appeared so old and established, and many even held the hands of children of their own. I remember thinking that ten years post-grad felt like a faraway lifetime that would never come. So, when I recently received an email about my own 10-year college reunion, I had to sit down for a second. Ouch.

A man in a flannel shirt looks surprised at a lively party as people cheer around him
Dreamworks Pictures

So I couldn't help but follow along when I saw that redditor u/Traditional-Arm-6114 asked, "What made you realize you are not young anymore?" Here's what people had to say, including some responses from the BuzzFeed Community and a few of my own.

1."When you are excited by kitchen gadgets. Don't you dare take the joy from the pasta maker add-on to my KitchenAid mixer."

Fresh pasta dough being cut into noodles by a pasta machine
Aleksandargeorgiev / Getty Images

2."One of the guys I work with pointed out that I could be his mother. I was appalled at first because he’s 23, and that couldn’t possibly be right. But then I realized I’m 39, and it’s absolutely possible."

katerumtruffle

3."I'm from the Netherlands, and here we have two different words for 'you.' We say 'jij' to someone who is younger than you or equal to your age or in informal settings. We say 'u' to people who are older and in formal settings. Suddenly, younger people in restaurants or stores say 'u' to me. That's when I realized I'm getting old."

Character Rachel from Friends in Central Perk wearing a denim vest

4."When my little cousin asked me if she could play 'classic rock' while I was driving, and then she proceeded to turn on Blink-182. I had to pull over and just stare at her. I've felt old ever since. Oh, and hurting my back while sneezing doesn't help either."

CD cover for 'NOW That’s What I Call Music 82' with large '82' and tropical graphics

5."Coming home and trying to hang out with old friends. Realizing we had nothing in common anymore beyond the memories."

u/Competitive-Term-618

6."Seeing my older brother's age makes me feel old. I noticed my 38-year-old brother was starting to bald, and at that moment, something clicked: We're all getting old. In my eyes, my brother will forever be 17 years old, but that thinning hair makes him seem our dad’s age."

Man examining his hairline in the mirror, concerned expression, in a bathroom setting
Marc Romanelli / Getty Images/Tetra images RF

7."When I had to ask, 'what the f*** is a rizz?'

u/burninghippies

8."Having to scroll really far down for my birth year to show up on an online form."

Person resting on a couch, wrapped in a blanket, wearing glasses, looking at laptop.

9."Realizing that if I get pregnant three years from now it will be considered a geriatric pregnancy..."

Pregnant person cradling belly with both hands, standing indoors near a plant
Oscar Wong / Getty Images

10."My teenage niece loves TikTok and sending me memes. I consider myself relatively young, but I still have no concept of the humor in any of them. Every time I have to ask her what a new slang word means, I die a little inside."

wouldn’t you like to know

11."I have body piercings that are old enough to drink 😥."

Hawaii driver's license held up with photo and details of character McLovin from a film
Columbia Pictures

12."I turned on the Grammy Awards this year, and I had no clue who the majority of performers were. Years ago, I knew all of them."

Billie Eilish smiling, holding a Grammy Award, wearing a black and pink outfit
Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images

13."For me, it’s when celebrities pass away. I’m always like, 'No way! They’ve been around since I was….’ Oh no! The math is the worst part..."

u/bald_alpaca

14."The moment I started considering 9 p.m. as 'late' and got excited about buying a new type of vacuum cleaner."

Person using a vacuum cleaner on a wooden floor in a living room
Seventyfour / Getty Images/iStockphoto

15."I remember going to a Best Buy years ago, and the guy ringing up my order looked at my license and said, 'holy shit, you were born the year I graduated from high school.' Now, I've had these exact thoughts and totally get where he was coming from."

u/hootyowlscissors

16."Recognizing the fact that I've been out of high school for about as long as current teenagers have been alive."

Cher Horowitz from Clueless looks puzzled reading a paper in class
Paramount Pictures

17."I was a camp counselor one summer before college. Now, my campers are starting to get married. I wasn't mentally prepared for the first Instagram post where one announced she'd had a baby."

Camp counselor and children from "The Parent Trap" in a discussion amidst trees
The Walt Disney Company

18."When Gen Z'ers tell me what year they were born after I've had an adult conversation with them."

JedLeland

19."Realizing that I now feel excited to decorate or clean my house."

Person hanging wooden house-shaped ornament on a Christmas tree
Natalia Lebedinskaia / Getty Images

20."Learning that Dr. Dre is 58 broke my brain. My heart will ache once I can process the information."

Sugar, Spice, And Chemical X

21."When a song from my youth plays on the radio and the DJ calls it a classic or an oldie."

Finger pressing the power button on a car stereo system
Juanma Hache / Getty Images

22."I'm 39 and pregnant. I work in the OB office where my own doctor works, and there are a few women my age. But the majority make me feel ancient. They're like 23 and breezing through their pregnancies. I'm delighted to be pregnant, but it's painful and exhausting!"

A woman on an exam table smiles at a man standing beside her.
Apatow Productions

23."When I started acting like my parents and wanted to stay home rather than go out to parties."

Person resting on couch with a golden retriever lying on top. They are covered by a blanket with a tasseled edge
Klaus Vedfelt / Getty Images

24."My knees crack when I get up. Also, I do that weird dad groan when I go to stand."

u/NewParent23

25."TikTok. When this social media platform dropped I just instantly morphed into a dinosaur 🦕."

Person with long hair using a smartphone, focusing on their hands and the device
Tim Robberts / Getty Images

26."Seeing the stats of an Olympic athlete who was born on my 18th birthday really did me in."

A_Panda

27."I always used to think professional athletes were so much older than I am. Now I'm 35, and I'm older than most pro athletes. In fact, a lot of them look like babies to me."

Patrick Mahomes in a football uniform, celebrating on the field with a cap in hand
Perry Knotts / Getty Images

28."Kids born during the year I graduated from high school can almost all drink legally now. Talk about feeling like a dinosaur."

morganleslay

29."I was talking with the daughter of a friend who is 15. She said to me, 'Harry Potter is an old people thing. I wasn't even born yet when it came out.'"

Hermione, Harry, and Ron from "Harry Potter" in school uniforms, looking surprised
Warner Bros.

Can you relate? Tell me about a startling moment that seriously aged you or made you feel old. Or drop your thoughts into this Google Form.