The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]

Dope color on that hat.

So, here I am, late to the party again.

I’ve been thinking and talking a lot about this lately. Not necessarily being ‘old’ in advertising but ‘age’ as a thing. My daughters are grown up now, with the youngest just finishing up her A-Levels and the two others at various stages of university life. Both my dad and I were both 24 years old when we became dads for the first time, which makes it quite easy for me to compare where I am to where he was when I was at university. Dad was old back then. My daughters look pretty much like the young women I used to study with. I’m still dressing in pretty much the same way as I did back then (except I can afford to buy them from the high street and not from a charity shop) – I’m just a slightly more grown-up version of the Generation X grunge kid that I used to be. I’m still curious about things (although there I might not as be as super-curious as I once was). I’ve recently become more interested in my physical health because I want to spend more time on this planet with Bernadette and the girls and having spent those dark years in the shed (remember the shed?) and the week in the funny farm (remember the funny farm?) I’m incredibly conscious of my mental health and well being. It feels like we’re a different generation of ‘old’ people. Like age doesn’t matter anymore – that it to say that it isn’t a barrier anymore.* And we’re (I’m generalising wildly here, I know) comfortable with technology and don’t get confused by programming video recorders, changing the time on the oven’s clock or installing some strange Internet of Things thing.

Anyway. Hello.

*I should point out that I relish and use my age/experience in my work. I can do this because I’m self-employed and because more often than not I’m actively being hired to be the oldest man in the room. Experience is something that companies like to contract ‘as-required’.