The Old Young Man

I'm 24 years old. I have to get that out the way because I've noticed more and more that people think I'm younger than I am. That's kind of a funny situation because I'm usually older than a lot of people around me.

It's weird having a late year birthday. The State of Illinois has a rule that a child has to be five years old by September in order to enter kindergarten. That means I couldn't enter kindergarten the same year as other kids born in the same year I was. I was six years old when I graduated kindergarten, 14 years old when I graduated 8th grade, and 18 years old when I graduated high school. Most of the kids I went to school with (except for others who had late birthdays like me) were months younger than I was. However, I was the middle person in age among my closest college friends. Paul and Chris Martin are both older than me (by roughly one month and four months respectively) and Steve and Chris Jones are both younger than me.

People who now just get to know me are surprised that I'm as "old" as I am. When I worked for Mrs. Jackson, a person told me that I looked like I was 16. When I went for training at my job, the three other employees with me were surprised when I told them my age. While talking with some other people I work with, someone asked my age and was also surprised when I told them (in a twist, I was also surprised to learn that someone I work with was only a year older than my sister).

I guess I'm blessed to have some parents with pretty good genes. The same type of thing that happens to me happens to my dad. All of us kind of joke about how women who are younger than him (around 40's) "flirt" with him. When he says his age, they all act surprised. In fact, both my parents don't necessarily act their age. Both of them are still pretty current with music and TV (especially Mom). How many middle-age people can say that they know who the Ying Yang Twins are? Or that they like to watch 106 & Park? Then there is Auntee. She has somehow managed to stay the same size she has been for years.

In the end, I think I should be happy that people think I'm younger than I am. Some people would really like to be in my position. Besides, if people think I'm a few years younger now, just imagine what will happen when I get older...