SENIOR LIFE
Confronting Age Dysmorphia
Growing old disrupts our inner sense of self
Question: How do you go from someone who knows everything to someone who knows nothing?
Answer: Have kids. Launch them into the world. Grow old.
As I age, I’ve found that the one who raised my daughters as an all-knowing parent (I come in second in that category to my wife) has given way to the senior who’s seen by said children and their fellow young adults as clueless.
Okay, boomer.
Suddenly seniors like me seem to know nothing while younger people know everything. They believe they better understand everything about parenting, politics, and how to eat toast (with avocados).
Our lifetime of experience is discounted to mere nostalgia — unimportant, trivial, out-of-date.
This phenomenon reminds me of a Peter, Paul & Mary song called “Old Enough (Ode to Aging).” It’s a rock track nestled among mostly folk on their 1995 LifeLines album. The tune includes these lyrics:
Just when you’ve got the wisdom of the ages, nobody seems to want to turn your pages.
Seniors: Sound familiar?
This is one aspect of what I’ve coined as age dysmorphia — the disconnect…
