The other day, redditor u/disisdawayson asked, "What is the worst thing about being your current age?" People of all ages revealed the challenging expectations and realities that come with their age, growing up, and adulthood in general, and it's thought-provoking. Here's what they had to say:
1. "16 — Everyone expects you to act like an adult but still treats you like a child."
2. "19 — I have no idea what to do with my life."
3. "23 — You're expected to have so much ambition in life. Bonus: If you're a female, you're expected to have a partner and are questioned if you don't."
4. "23 — Empty wallet. No house. Still living at home trying desperately to find affordable homes for sale (nonexistent)."
5. "26 — I'm at the stage where half of the people I know expect me to settle down, get married, have kids, and the other half wants me to party with them, hang out all the time, enjoy my youth while it lasts and says it's all going too fast, and I am too young to settle down. It's like people are expecting me to be one way or the other, as if I am to choose sides."
6. "26 — When I turned 26, my mental health took a bad turn into a constant anxious state of being. I never really knew why it happened; I think there are many factors including COVID and life changes, but in my opinion, the ultimate factor was the approaching age of 30. Feeling like you’ve done nothing, and everyone around you is doing more."
"My fear of death overtook my desire to enjoy life, like, life CAN'T be over for me just yet, at least while I’m still trying to figure it all out. So my fear of death fed into hypochondriasis and OCD. Never dealt with any of these feelings before in my life, but 26 sparked it all. The limbo state is weird and can also spiral you, so just take care of yourself. I’m 27 now, almost 28. It’s been a long process of working through it, but things are getting better, and I’m hoping the last few years of my 20s can be enjoyed like the first six years were!"
7. "29 — Last year of being in that fruitful 20s stage. People expect that you should know everything by now. People also expect that you should get married and have kids or else whatever."
8. "33 — It's the point in life when you work with people both significantly younger and significantly older than you — and a few around the same age as you. The age when you get really serious about retirement and investments, but you still kinda feel young at the same time. And, of course, the terrifying existentialism reminding me that this is the youngest I'll ever be for the rest of my life."
"Life is weird, man."
9. "34 — You're just old enough to start thinking about getting old and no longer feeling young."
10. "36 — I'm single and don't want kids, and finding someone my age who is single and doesn't already have kids is proving difficult."
11. "42 — Life is the best it’s ever been, yet I’m probably halfway through or past halfway already. Time flies."
12. "43 — It's hard watching the younger generation struggle. It started to get bad in the late '90s, but at least I could afford a studio as a young man. Now, you need two or three roommates to afford rent in a one-bedroom, and you're never going to make enough to buy a house unless you stay with your parents until you are in your late 20s or early 30s and save up."
"College does not guarantee a good-paying job anymore, and if you do find a job, you have a mountain of college debt to pay off. I think it sucks watching the young people today struggle in the American nightmare."
13. "44 — I just went through the worst year of my life yet. Lost my dad. My mental health declined due to my mother's declining Alzheimer's (stage 6 of 7) and losing my job after not dealing with this well. I say lost, but I was bullied out by two women. One of those women died days after sacking me (natural causes). I live in a small dreary town where people are two-faced. I turned to weed big time, and my relationship took a nosedive. Health took a bigger nosedive. But...I feel like I'm coming through the worst."
"I got stronger and more determined to chase my dreams of being a writer. I placed in the top 1% of a screenplay contest with the BBC recently and have been placed on their radar as a writer and have two labradors who get me out of the house. I stopped smoking and started looking after myself, and honestly, the future looks okay. If you're in the dark, reach out. I promise people want to listen and want to help. You don't have to go through it alone. People care. You matter."
14. "47 — I had to give up a few sports that I can no longer play safely. Besides that, nothing. I appreciate the wisdom that comes with age."
15. "55 — We've experienced so much change in our lifetime. We were here when there were only three or four channels on TV and no remote controls, there were no cellphones, no home computers, etc. Now, look what all is out here in this world. To be honest, I kinda miss the days before all the technology."
"I think it's kinda sad that kids today don't know what it's like without it. People were more real back then. Being a teenager in the '80s was great."
16. "57 — The realization that I'm 13 years away from 70 is wild. My parents are gone, my cousins are all in their mid-60s (I'm an only child), and it's wild to think about the life we've lived."
17. "58 — It's hard being single again. Dating is very different now. Oh, and my brain still thinks I'm 25, and my body thinks I'm an idiot!"
18. "68 — I'm slowing down, but I'm still having max fun."
And finally...
19. "71 — My body is beginning its inevitable slowdown. Not happy."
"I still try to keep fit (do some jogging, some stationary bicycling, and some really light lifting), but it sure takes a lot more effort than it did previously, and keeping the extra pounds off is really difficult. I also had a bout with prostate cancer, which was successfully dealt with by surgery, but which has left me, well, half the man I was before."
What's the hardest thing about being your current age? Feel free to join the conversation in the comments below.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.