We can pick almost any 12 year old in a developed country and know a lot about them. They go to school (unless they’re home schooled), they don’t yet have a job (though they might babysit or run a lemonade stand), and they’re at or near puberty, complete with all the things that come with it. Some may be further along than others, but they are more or less going through the same stage of life. None of them are getting married or taking an early retirement or what-have-you.
After a certain age, those similarities disappear. Although we were all on the same page as each other once upon a time, by 40 our paths have diverged in such extreme ways that looking at others of the same age can be surprising.
If you’re not old enough to relate, that’s fine, but it’d be silly to dismiss the experiences of others just because you’re not there yet. I’m not 40 yet, but I’ve seen enough by my mid-30s to understand what this post is trying to capture.
I love that your own examples came with a bunch of exceptions. The puberty one has exceptions too - puberty blockers, early/late onset puberty, and so on.
This is just a collection of high probability things. Same is true for people in their 40s, like most in their 40s probably don’t live with their parents, just as a random example.
You’ve just forgotten, or never realized, the disparity of life experiences of being a kid, and y’all like to imagine that being in your 40s is somehow unique or special as a way of coping with getting older
We can pick almost any 12 year old in a developed country and know a lot about them. They go to school (unless they’re home schooled), they don’t yet have a job (though they might babysit or run a lemonade stand), and they’re at or near puberty, complete with all the things that come with it. Some may be further along than others, but they are more or less going through the same stage of life. None of them are getting married or taking an early retirement or what-have-you.
After a certain age, those similarities disappear. Although we were all on the same page as each other once upon a time, by 40 our paths have diverged in such extreme ways that looking at others of the same age can be surprising.
If you’re not old enough to relate, that’s fine, but it’d be silly to dismiss the experiences of others just because you’re not there yet. I’m not 40 yet, but I’ve seen enough by my mid-30s to understand what this post is trying to capture.
I love that your own examples came with a bunch of exceptions. The puberty one has exceptions too - puberty blockers, early/late onset puberty, and so on.
This is just a collection of high probability things. Same is true for people in their 40s, like most in their 40s probably don’t live with their parents, just as a random example.
You’ve just forgotten, or never realized, the disparity of life experiences of being a kid, and y’all like to imagine that being in your 40s is somehow unique or special as a way of coping with getting older