Things that make you feel old. Really, really...old..

[Missyanthrope]

I know many of us aren't necessarily spring chickens, but I've never really felt my biological age...that is until:

-About 3 years ago my nephew was staying over for a few days, and we were watching SyFy.  My husband and I were discussing the differences between the original and the new series when my nephew asked "What's Battlestar Galactica? Is that a new show?"  Don't ask me why, but I was shocked that one of the most iconic SF series ever was so unknown by a younger generation.
-My niece, who currently lives with us was lamenting on how hard it is to make her friends listen to "real" goth music, and dress in "real" goth clothes.  My husband and I, former "geeky goths", began questioning her choice of "real" goth music when she couldn't tell us who Depeche Mode, Bauhaus, Siouxie, or The Cure were.  And "real" goth clothing??  According to her it comes from...Hot Topic.  She could not fathom that we managed to dress gothy in a time when Hot Topic DIDNT EXIST.
-The first time I saw a group of teenagers using my backyard as a shortcut to the next neighborhood, and I caught myself at the last moment running halfway to the back deck to yell at them to "GET OFF MY LAWN!!".  Oh yeah, I had almost become THAT old lady.  *shudder*
-Relating stories to the same niece above of the time when my husband and I first met, and kept missing chances to get together for dates because this was BEFORE widespread cell phone use, and right when personal email addresses were JUST becoming popular but were still rare. (Early 1990's)  This horrified her, and she could not fathom how we "ever talked to each other" without a cellphone, IM, email, or the other conveniences she uses to constantly blather on about NOTHING with her friends.
-Realizing its been long enough that the fashions I wore in Jr. High/High School are coming back in style.  And that had I saved my clothes my niece would be the most fashionable girl in her class with my peg leg jeans, my legwarmers, my off the shoulder "ala Flashdance" shirts, my wild colored high top sneakers, and other clothing she spends a FORTUNE on in these expensive pseudo-vintage boutiques that are EVERYWHERE nowdays.
-Dropping niece off at school/at a party/at the mall/etc., and finding myself saying things like "I see the just rolled out of bed look is still popular", or "Is that a girl or a boy?", or even "Did they get dressed in the DARK this morning??"
-Being 37 weeks pregnant, and also having a 21 month toddler, a five year old, and a 17 year old niece/foster daughter....and realizing the people I graduated HS with are telling stories about their kids first year of college, and I am telling them stories of how I just found my toddler trapped in the fridge when she tried to climb into the veggie drawer...and didn't fit.  I usually get shocked responses along the lines of "You still have a TODDLER??  Did you adopt?"  No, I just got a late start.  A really...really...REALLY late start.

So, what things have come up or happened that make you suddenly feel or realize "Ohmigosh...I am/feel OLD!!!"

[StarFaerie]

Someone was talking to my son (13) about some political stuff and trying to explain with reference to the former East Germany. They were flabbergasted that he had no real understanding of it and had never heard of Gorbachev. I had to explain to them that the wall fell 9 years before he was born so it doesn't even appear on his radar. But I remember the wall coming down so well and all the feelings it engendered. I felt so old.

[Iris]

Explaining to my DD that we didn't have a microwave, a VCR until I was at high school, and only had two channels to watch. TWO CHANNELS.

That, and when I saw a rotary dial telephone in a museum. A MUSEUM?!?! It wasn't THAT long ago for crying out loud!

[cicero]

- not only do *I* remember using a rotary dial phone, but so does my son! (he's 25)
- most of my friends and my-generation-cousins are grandparents several times over
- i remember when styles that are now "retro" and  "making a comeback" were new (first time around)
- our favorite teenhood hits are oldies.
- being "that lady" at the library ("shuuuush")

[Eeep!]

The day I was watching Glee and they were talking about teaching someone a classic rock song and it turned out to be a song by U2. I think it was One. 

[Venus193]

Most of the above plus:

• My college buddy's stories about very young colleagues who had never seen a black and white movie
• Remembering a TV announcer who said "The FBI -- in color!"
• Another friend's story about how the pre-teen son of her friend didn't know how to operate a rotary phone (She still has one in her apartment)
• Anybody remember Million Dollar Movie?

[Phoebelion]

Explaining that when TV's first came out they wer little tiny, black and white with rabbit ears.  And that TV stations - all 2 of them - weren't 24 hours a day. 

[WestAussieGirl]

My DD6 and I were house hu ting.  When we left one place she asked why they had a microwave in the longe room.  It was an old box-style TV.  She can only remember flat-screens.

[oz diva]

I remember commenting that the twin towers would be an iconic image like challenger exploding. The person I was talking to had no idea what I was talking about.

When I met my husband there was no internet/email. We wrote l.e.t.t.e.r.s. To each other.

Explaining to the kids during the summer holidays that they didn't know the meaning of boredom.

[turtleIScream]

My cousin becoming a grandpa.

I was sitting on the floor, and I grunted and groaned while trying to stand up.

I remember when McNuggets were introduced to the McDonalds menu.

The mirror.

When Qadafi (sp?) was killed, I had flashbacks to Reagan's presidency and remembering tensions with Libya heating up way back then.

[gmama]

This happened a few years ago... my neighbours' kids came over (8 and 13) and DH and I were using the record player.  They were mezmerized! Kept asking questions like: "CRUD MONKEYS!, is that a record player?? How does it work?!"... and the kicker: "Where's the laser?!?" 

[QueenofAllThings]

A conversation between a young lady away at school and her BFF. The young lady was explaining that she had called home and was speaking to her parents - at the same time. Her BFF couldn't understand how that was possible - how could two people be on one cell phone having a conversation? She grew up in a house with no land line.

When I was in college, there was one lad in the whole dorm with an answering machine. We thought he was a pretentious, precious fop.

My parents went with BetaMax.

Two words - mix tape. The ultimate sign of affection. My kids don't get that at all.

[Morty'sCleaningLady]

Two words - mix tape. The ultimate sign of affection. My kids don't get that at all.

I work in IT.  Last summer, I had an intern who was actually young enough to be my son! 

Also, when I was on condo board and called 'Mrs. Kravitz' (reference to the neighbor on Bewitched for you younguns) for complaining about a neighbor idling his bus (yes, not a minivan, but a full sized bus) outside my living room window.  I was probably 35 at the time.  When did I become the crochety old lady?

[Elfmama]

When my grandson asked "Grandma, what kind of video games did they have when you were a kid?"  He had trouble believing that I was older than Pong. (Came out when I was a teen.)

When said grandson became a teenager.

[mechtilde]

The first time I realised that one of my colleagues was young enough to be my daughter.