Vickie Fee

Startling milestones — I’m feeling old

Remember Macaulay Culkin, that cute little kid from the Christmas film, “Home Alone”?

He just turned forty. Yep, you heard that right. Forty. If it makes you feel old, join the club.

Actually, reading last week that Macaulay Culkin is forty was just the icing on my feeling-really-old pity party cake. August brought a couple of other startling milestones in my family. My youngest nephew, Seth, turned 18. And, as if that wasn’t throwing enough cold water on my warm and fuzzy aunt memories, my youngest niece, Molly, the baby of the family, just turned 16. Sixteen!

BabySeth with Gdaddy

Seth was born the same day that his dad, my brother Chris, received his PhD. We all travelled straight from the graduation ceremony to the hospital. Seth was gorgeous. When he was a baby, his very dark straight hair stood straight up, like a flat top. My husband called it “Sergeant Carter hair.” Remember Sergeant Carter from the Gomer Pyle sitcom? (If you’re too young to remember Sergeant Carter, you’re too young to commiserate with me about my late mid-life crisis. Get off my lawn!)

I still remember the first time I saw Molly. She was beautiful. (We’ve never had an ugly baby in our family.) When she was little, my sister’s family lived only a few blocks away from hubs and me. So, I remember her early toddling steps. I remember when her hair got long enough it curled into little locks of gold. I remember when she started talking and, much like her mother, never stopped.

BabyMolly and Gdaddy

At at my parents’ house when Seth was three and Molly was a year and a half, they spent one whole Thanksgiving fighting over a stuffed pumpkin. Not the edible kind. The plush variety. My brother and sister very patiently conducted negotiations throughout the day and brokered a few brief periods of peace.

The holiday with the pumpkin of contention turned out to be our last Thanksgiving with my dad, who is pictured here with each of them. He was crazy about all his grandkids, as you can probably tell from his expression.

The two of them get along much better now at holidays. But they’re not quite as interesting to watch as they text or play games on their cell phones. Sigh.

I blame their parents. How could they let them grow up so fast!

For the record, my age and birthdays (especially milestones) are something of which we do not speak.

Is there something that makes you feel old(er)? Has seeing an old friend or recent picture of a favorite celebrity startled you with the reality of time passing?

37 thoughts on “Startling milestones — I’m feeling old”

  1. My nieces and nephews keep getting older too. The oldest can now drink, and a handful have already graduated high school. And their parents are all younger than me. What’s up with that? It seems like I was the one graduating not so long ago.

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  2. Feeling old? Naw, you are a youngster .
    My baby girl turned 22 last month.
    When I look at my dad’s pictures of when the three of us girls were little, it makes me ask where the time went.
    I feel like I actually didn’t grow up, until my youngest graduated high school. But I won’t Feel old until I’m a grandma. And since it looks like I may never have any, I won’t ever get old.

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  4. I hear ya. I freaked out when I realized I am old enough to be a grandmother, WHAT! My niece and nephew are old enough to have kids. Not right. Oh well, I am alive, i feel older than my age, but act younger than my shoe size, lol. Take care!!

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  5. I had to EXPLAIN “Wax on, Wax off” to my kid:
    Me: You know, from The Karate Kid. No not that one, the one with Ralph Macchio and that guy who played Arnold on Happy Days. You know, Happy Days, with Richie Cunningham. OK, remember when we saw The Music Man? The little kid with the lisp who wanted a trumpet? He grew up to be a big star—I mean, he’s bald now—and he was on a show with the guy who was in The Karate Kid. The good one.

    (*sigh*) Kids today.

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    1. They’re bringing The Karate Kid back with Ralph Maccio and his adversary as adults. (No, it’s supposed to be really good!). Ralph grew up to be a car dealer. Who feels old now?

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  6. I had to EXPLAIN “Wax on, Wax off” to my kid.
    Me: You know, like in The Karate Kid. No, not that one, the one with Ralph Macchio and that guy who played Arnold on Happy Days. You know, Happy Days, with Richie Cunningham? No? OK, remember when we saw The Music Man, that little kid with a lisp who wanted a trumpet? Well, he grew up to be a big star—I mean, he’s bald now—but he was on a show with the guy who was in The Karate Kid. The good one.
    (*sigh*) Kids today.

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    1. Don’t feel bad, Face. A friend of ours wanted to watch Star Wars (the first one that was released). She told daughter it was her favorite film from her childhood. Daughter whined: “Is it in black and white?!” Ouch!

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  8. How much do I love this post? Thanks, Vickie! Here’s my most recent “I am old and decrepit” moment: I’ve taken to standing in front of the TV and yelling at the screen during the political coverage. My husband pointed out that I have turned into my dad (who would have been 102 right now).

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  9. I always had this philosophy; Just keep moving. Don’t look down. Don’t look back, and maybe you can out run growing old. Ridiculous, right? For me I think it worked until this whole coronavirus lockdown required we change how we socialize, and more and more I have to admit I’m aware of aging and life’s changes. It’s not a bad thing, but a chance to sit and think more retrospectively.

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    1. I think that’s a great philosophy, Nancy! I think the pandemic has made all of us more aware of our mortality and what’s really important to us. But a little reflection is a good thing. You look wonderful, by the way!

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  10. I don’t actually feel all that old (except when my joints creak in the morning when I first get up). So sometimes I’ll be hanging out with some youngsters, say, at a wedding or some such thing, acting like I’m one of them–until I see them staring at my snow-white hair. And then I remember. Oh yeah, I’m old enough to be their grandmother…

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  11. I feel the same as Leslie. I’m friends with a lot of my kids’ friends and when they talk about milestones in their lives I think, “Wow, I wonder when MY kid will do that,” having forgotten that they’re all the same age. My youngest is 28, my oldest is 33, and I’m going to be 60 in February which blows my mind! I remember when my grandparents were around and in their 60s and they were OLD! Retired, white-haired, cardigan-and-sensible-shoe-wearing people with a gazillion grandkids. But that’s so far from me that I can’t quite wrap my brain around it. It seems I just graduated from college, but then I pull out the trusty ‘ol calculator ….

    I’m reminded of my dad talking about “the girls” who worked for him. When I met them, I was surprised they were all at least in their 50s. And the story my mom used to tell about my brother’s first day of k-gar where he told her his teacher had the most beautiful hair. When she finally met her, Mom was surprised that she had a fluff of old lady white hair. So, I guess for me, age is just a number. And it’s one that doesn’t mean much to me, especially when I’m dancing at a wedding!

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  12. Awesomely hilarious and oh-so-relatable post, Vickie!

    My oldest just turned 16, which makes me feel oldish, but not as much as hearing the songs I listened to in high school on the classic rock radio station. In the words of Cher Horowitz, “As if!”

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    1. You should go, Jen — if for no other reason than you look fantastic! I weigh more than in my college days, but I’d still enjoy seeing some of my journalism classmates. I’m still really good friends with one of them!

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  15. Vickie, I love this post! Sorry about the delay, I’ve been dealing with computer issues all day. You know what makes me feel old? I saw Macauley in a workshop play production when he was six!! I was NOT six at the time.

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    1. Ellen, I won’t ask how old you were — your friendship means too much to me, lol! Home Alone came out in 1990, and in my heart Macaulay Culkin will always be ten years old!

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