On Getting Old

Two nights ago, I went to my second Back To School night in a week, this time for Thing One.  I emerged from it with several take-home thoughts, many having to do with the ridiculous cross-enormous-campus sprints he has to do several times a day (it’s a good thing he’s fit) but others relating to the fact that at least three of the seven teachers I met that night could theoretically be my children too.  They can’t be much past their mid-20s, which is looking pretty young to me these days.

The other day, I talked to a friend whose teenaged son had recently come across a phone booth for the first time and asked her to show him how it worked.  After she obliged, he said, “Now I finally get why you tell me to “hang up” the phone when you want me to get off a call!”

Then, this afternoon, Thing One and Petunia were in the car with me as I drove to taekwondo class.  The song, “Hey Ya” by OutKast came on the satellite radio, and since both kids like it, they were cheerfully singing along.  In the middle of a lyric, Thing One broke off singing to ask me what “Shake it like a Polaroid picture” means.  Ye gods.  Of course, he’s never seen a Polaroid camera or shaken its film to develop it, so how would he know??

Has someone asked a question recently that made you feel old too?  Hoping it’s not just me. Please tell me your stories!