A lot of us have had that ‘wow, I’m old’ moment when we see what the newest generations have been up to—or when we’re corrected by a younger person on new etiquette, slang or fashion. Within our own cultural norms, we see trends like when a television network brings back a series for an all-day marathon, or how Miley Cyrus decided she is becoming Hannah Montana and dyed her hair blonde and especially when the Jonas Brothers reunited to make more music and all of our inner 10-year-old fangirl souls screamed in excitement.
All of this is great stuff coming full-circle back to us, but when it’s called the ‘throwback marathon,’ or the ‘return of Hannah Montana,’ or a ‘boy band reunion,’ I can’t help to think about how many years have passed that they feel bold enough to label it that way—and suddenly, I feel old. If you’re one of those people who still thinks that you’re young, wild and free (if you don’t get that reference you are also either too old or too young, there’s is no in-between) take a look at some of these facts that will definitely leave you checking for gray hairs and wrinkles:
These songs turn 10 years old in 2019:
I know what you’re thinking right now: “holy crap, I am starting to get old.” Don’t worry, because this year’s television show anniversaries will make you feel ancient:
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Wizards of Waverly Place turns 12
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South Park and Ed, Edd n Eddy both turn 20
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Kenan & Kel turns 23
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All That turns 25
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Bill Nye The Science Guy turns 26
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Rugrats turns 28
Now that I’ve finished mentally harassing you on your age and childhood memories, how exactly do we deal with this information? Honestly, the best way I can think of is to bust out your Avril Lavigne CD (if you still have a CD player or walkman—you could also use Apple Music or Spotify), try to squeeze into your gauchos from 2005, and bring on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody marathon before watching Riverdale, and see how some of your favorite stars have grown up themselves.
I had my biggest ‘wow, I’m getting old’ moment in April, when my little sister was supposed to turn 15 for the third year in a row, but instead (and much to my disbelief) she turned 18. This past summer, I attended her high school graduation—I am literally gasping while typing this. Age is typically seen as a negative thing and ageism is very present in all aspects of our society: commercial, fashion, entertainment, everyday life. Growing up and becoming older shouldn’t be a scary or a bad thing. All it means is we’ve lived longer, we’ve collected more experience, made more memories, been more places and met more people.
In all honesty, people grow up at all different rates: mentally, physically and emotionally. In some ways, we never grow out of certain parts of ourselves, like loving the Jonas Brothers, or still getting excited when we see a Sprouse brother—and that is okay. These things were a part of our childhood, and in many ways, they’ve helped to shape the people we’ve all grown up to be. So instead of being sad about how old you’re getting, be grateful that you lived during a time in which you had the privilege of enjoying these amazing entertainment options, experiences and chapters of life.
Once you learn how to turn expectations into appreciation, you begin to change your entire attitude towards life. A lot of people think that when we start to get older, there are certain milestones we should be hitting by certain ages, or experiences, or moments—but this couldn’t be further than the truth. This can be seen in your 60-year-old neighbor who still acts like they’re 12, and in your little brother who is only 13 but somehow knows way more than you do about subjects you’ve spent years learning about in school. Maturity and age do not go hand-in-hand, and people grow up at their own rates. Life is different for every single one of us: our experiences, our relationships and our memories. Rather than stressing about how ‘old ‘ you’re getting or how you haven’t done this or that yet, slow down and enjoy your journey, you’ll get to exactly where you need to be.