Recently I was at a restaurant that had tablets at each table with games to play. The game that was most captivating to us had a series of questions where you had to pick one of two options. Some of them were benign – gold or silver? Others were more thought provoking – Would you rather find the cure for cancer or end world hunger. After making a selection, the game showed the percentage of previous players with that same selection.
The one question that has really been sticking with me was, “Would you rather be at a party where everyone was half your age or twice your age?” Without hesitation everyone at the table said twice our age. Once we recorded our answer in the game, we discovered that 81% of previous responders chose the other answer. We were shocked.
Being surrounded by people that much younger than me doesn’t make me feel young – it is normally a reminder of how glad I am not to be at that age anymore! I feel like I fit in better with people my own age or older. I’ve always felt that way.
Growing up I remember feeling flattered when I was able to sit quietly while the adults talked. That to me was much preferred to going outside and playing. Ma says I was born with an old soul, and I resemble that remark in many ways.
One thing I hadn’t really thought about before now, but which surprises me a little, is that this didn’t carry over into the romance department. I’m simply not a May/December type of gal. It seems strange to me to consider going out with someone closer to my parents’ age than my own.
That is not to say I wasn’t given opportunities. When I was in the ballroom dance instructor training, we were required to work the dance parties by dancing with as many of the guests as possible. I was always a huge hit with the 55+ crowd. For me this was fun because many of these men had been dancing their whole lives and were quite good.
At Jewish singles mixers, I was still drawing this same age group. It was always a challenge not to allow my time to be monopolized the by obviously newly divorced men in my parent’s generation. I didn’t want to seem rude, but I wasn’t at all interested and wanted to be available should a more age-appropriate potential suitor wanted to chat. [I’m so glad those days are behind me!]
So would you rather be at a party where all the guests were half your age or twice it? or May/December romances: where you do you stand?
Grown Up, Now What? 
I’m with you – I’d much rather sit with those older than me. So much to learn from them! I, too, have an “old soul” and I used to love being able to sit with the adults. Sometimes at family gatherings now, I’m still kind of surprised that I’m there not by anyone’s permission but because we have all grow up and actually ARE the grownups now!
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How on earth are we considered grownups?!?!?!? I still have a hard time referring to myself or my friends as “women.” When did that happen? I’ve known many of them since we were 14. That’s still how I think of us at some level.
Being willing to sit quietly and listen gave me so many stories. I never would have known about my grandma’s first cross country trip otherwise. It was during WWII, by train. At each station there was the distinct possibility that she would be bumped off the train to give the spot to a service man. What a great story that would have been lost forever had I not heard it!
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I’ve been noticing those tablets more and more lately at restaurants and airports. Although I didn’t realize you could play games on them. Anyway, as far as that question goes…I would probably say that I would hang out with people who are younger than me. Maybe that makes me weird, but that’s what I would go with. Perhaps it’s because I tutor little kids so I’m used to interacting with people who are younger than me.
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It must be rewarding to be a tutor for little ones. For me, I’ve never been around little kids, which is probably why I have a preference for the older group. I think it is all in what we are used to.
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