#60 When someone guesses you’re way younger than you actually are

Neil Pasricha

I have an addiction.

Whenever I’ve been hanging out with a toddler for over twenty minutes I always have to ask them to guess my age. I can’t explain this terrible disease other than to say I find their answers hilarious.

Sometimes I get the sheepish “I don’t knowwwwwwwww!” followed by that “Is this guy serious?” laugh and look away. But other times I get that beautiful Totally Innocent Guess, where they look you up and down for a couple seconds and then shout that you’re either 14 or 75.

I say Toddler Feedback always comes from a pure place. When they say your sweater’s ugly, breath stinks, or eyes are crossed, you know it’s for real. That’s why I don’t mind when they say I’m fifteen years younger than I actually am.

What bald head? What baggy eyes? What wrinkly face?

We’ve just been told we look

AWESOME!

48 thoughts to “#60 When someone guesses you’re way younger than you actually are”

  1. Amusingly enough, as a college freshman, the opposite is awesome for me–people guessing that I’m older than I am. I’ve always looked younger than I am–when I was getting my hair done for high school graduation, the hair dresser thought I was graduating from middle school. That’s why, when a professor thinks I’m a sophomore or a kid at the summer camp where I work thinks I’m 25, it’s incredibly flattering–I AM an adult! :D

      1. People use to think I was way younger than I am, but I guess having kids has aged me because it doesn’t happen anymore. :-(

    2. Exactly the same for me! I’m 20 but a few months ago I had someone guess that I was 14 or 15 (I’ve forgotten the circumstances of that comment unfortunately), not exactly flattering, and it gets super old when it’s one of the first things people tell me when I meet them.

  2. It’s not so cool when the flight attendant tells you that you must be at least 15 to sit in the emergency exit row and then you have to tell them you’re actually 21, haha but I’m hoping this will be in my favor when I’m older, it’s just frustrating right now! Nope, hate to bust your bubble but I’m about to graduate college, not high school!

  3. This is really awesome. I always get mistaken for being between 15-20. I’m 28. I get carded EVERYWHERE. Bars, clubs, restaurants, R-rated movies, buying super glue and recently buying a video game at Wal-Mart. It can be annoying but it’s pretty awesome to know that I’ll look young when I really am an old woman.

      1. Apparently kids are huffing it or something like that so you have to me an adult to but it.

    2. Agreed. I am always pegged as being younger than I am (25). Buying things like rubber cement, cough syrup, or spray paint are a few of my past hassles.

      Like you said though, if the trend continues, we’ll be looking youthful when we’re old! :)

  5. Hahaha I just had to comment- my Mum and I get kicks out of asking guests and friends to guess how old my Mum’s partner is. Now Mum is 46 and John sort of looks his age but radiates this youthful energy and is always smiling and jumping about, so we get some pretty hilarious answers! Some of my friends that had seen John suggested he was in his late 40’s. Also, one of my brothers’ friends answered, when asked, “Um…… honestly??”
    “Yes of course Harry.”
    “Is he…….. in his 50’s…??” His Mum proceeded to be shocked, and apologised profusely for his suggesting such an ‘old’ age. You can imagine they were all flabbergasted when we said he was actually 68!!!

  7. My daughter used to always say that I was 14 and hubby was 50! It was so funny!
    I am horrible at guessing people’s ages. Just horrible. As far as I’m concerned, most of the people at my office is around 30. I’ve been slowly finding out that I am waaaaaay wrong.
    The caption for the picture is hilarious!

    1. HAHA! :) 14 and 50!

      Also, about the caption, I had to scroll up to see, of course, and I agree!

  8. Similar to your toddler anecdote, I always like to ask kids in my class at the beginning of the year before I tell them. I teach third grade now and their guesses are a little closer to my real age. However, when I was working in a kindergarten class, those little guys just had no concept whatsoever! It was hilarious! “Umm … 86?!”

  9. Ha I can totally relate, just last week two sales girls came to my door, they looked about my age, but they must have not thought the same about me. They started off saying “Hi, are your parents home?”. I am almost 26. I just told them I live here and they awkwardly tried to brush it off. yikes! Hopefully it pays off in later years.

    1. I love that! When solicitors come and knocks on my door and ask if my parents are home. I truthfully say “Nope!” and they just go away!

  10. I think children guess from spirit- theirs and yours!

    “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
    Courage to change the things I can and Wisdom to know the difference.”
    I think this is an awesome~ *wise* addiction:)

    If today IS your birthday Neil, Happy *third* Birthday to you!

      1. Happy Awesome Birthday, Neil! If it’s your bday, have a great bday weekend! Birthdays on a Friday qualify as all weekend-long birthdays! Woohooo!

  11. I too have this addiction. I love their answers. I once got told I was 85 years old. That was when I was 22. I love kids at that age haha.

  12. When I think about the mood I had at the moment, (100 or thirteen), I can believe their guess is founded in attitude over appearance:)
    (My imagination is playing detective)…Happy Birthday, Neil!

  13. Ahhh, so my problem is allowing adults to guess when I should be asking the toddler set! LOL! I used to teach elementary sp. ed….talk about honesty! In the spring, while wearing a short sleeved top and writing on the chalkboard, one of the girls asked why I had extra skin hanging on my arms…she laughed and said it jiggled when I wrote, which sent the kids into hysterics (Geez, I was only in my 30s and my arms weren’t that saggy yet!) LMAO!

  14. Both my sisters were born this day…3 years apart! And we’re all born in January! We used to tease our parents were twitter-pated in April!
    How exciting to know 3 very special people born this!
    I could have pegged you for an Aquarius, but to some that could be similar to guessing ages! HahahaHaaaaaaaapy Birthday, Neil- and many morrrre:)

    1. I have a brother and sister born the same day 7 years apart.
      (P.S. It’s not Neil’s birthday)

  17. Oh I’ve got another couple! It is very flattering to me because often people ask me what I’m about to do at uni and I have to say that I’m only 15 :)
    And when I was little we had some family friends (we still do) where the father is (I think) almost 7 feet tall. Now, he is still hugely taller than me, but to a small child he looked like a giant! I used to think he was a million billion trillion quadrillion squillian gillian zillion years old because I thought you kept growing as you got older XD Now obviously a gross exaggeration, it was innocent at the time!
    Oh yes and, tick :P

  19. -.-‘ People always guess I’m older than I am.
    “Oh, you must be in highschool. Is it hard? How are your classes?”
    “I’m twelve…in seventh grade…”
    “Oh, you’re so tall for your age!”
    “You should see my friend Nikol…”
    “…”

  20. Sometimes I like this, like when I want to get something off the kids’ menu at a restaurant or something, but other times I don’t.
    I work in retail – Victoria’s Secret to be exact (I’m 20 was 19 at the time this happened), and I helped a woman one time who asked me if I wanted to go on a “playdate” with her daughter sometime because I was so nice. She pointed over to the girl and the girl had to be no older than 13. I kindly replied to her, saying I was much older than she thought I was and that I was 19. She got so embarrassed, and then offered me a babysitting job instead out of kindness.
    Seriously, do people not realize it would be not only highly inappropriate for my store, but illegal as well in most states to not work until 16 or 18?

  21. Although I can appreciate the fun of asking kids how old you are and getting a completely silly answer, I think people should stop obsessing about looking as young as possible. Do we honestly all want to look like 15-year-olds? I was actually a bit offended when someone said I looked barely 20 when I had just turned 30 – I would much rather look my age! I guess it may change when I get older, but I still think people should admit to their age and not try to look as young as possible

    1. agree. although not an obsession *at all*, it does feel pretty good as you get older when the 3 A’s of awesome to this are natural … enjoy:)

  22. Being only eighteen, I would rather people guess a little on the older side, not younger. Not because I have that little kids’ craving to grow up quickly or be seen as a big mature grownup, but because I’ve done my growing up; eighteen years of it. I’d like a little recognition behind the wheel and in the smoke shop… and in the video game section– get these little kids out of my PS3 section, Mr. Sales Associate. No, I’m not some 16 year old punk, O soccer mom behind me at the ATM, don’t treat me like one. :)

    But as for the original topic, I guess it’d be cool if you’re a 40-plus gal that’s been hoarding up all the creams and moisturizers at Macy’s ever since the 35 milestone or the first kid (kiss your figure goodbye, toots, it’s never going to be the same). Like I said, a little recognition goes a long way, especially if it’s for more than living to eighteen. So, if you’re 35 and folks think you’re on the edge of 29, then yes; AWESOME! If you’re under 25 but get mistaken for under 18, then drat. Foiled again.

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