“Because you know, if you’re over 30 and still around… What exactly is that person doing with their life?” “Yeah, it’s pretty cringe!”
Lying in the tent, I overheard the young campers next to us chatting at the festival, and it made me smile. Sure, when I was 20, I thought life ended at 30. Now, at 36, I’m enjoying the freedom of being “awkward” in the eyes of teens—and thankfully, I don’t have to care about it.
There’s probably no middle-aged comedian who hasn’t joked about how terrifying teenagers can be. They wear their indifference like armor, wielding their knowledge of a world we just can’t keep up with no matter how hard we try.
Realizing you’ve become the target of eye-rolls can be intimidating at first, but it’s probably better to smile and accept it. There’s nothing wrong with having different interests or not having the time and energy to keep up with the latest trends while managing adult responsibilities.
Honestly, even when I know about something, I don’t always get it—for example, no matter how many times I hear that high socks are in and ankle socks are out, I just can’t get excited about them.
Awkward? If you ask a 14-year-old, definitely yes. But at 36, I think it would be truly awkward to care about that—or to hold a grudge against a teen for what they think of me. Not because I agree with them, but because they’re 14, dealing with their own challenges, and still figuring out who they are. I doubt they’ll forever judge coolness by socks.
Since forever, it’s been a teen’s job to view the generations before them with a healthy dose of cynicism—and that’s exactly how it should be. After all, how would the world move forward without hot-headed teens who genuinely believe they’ll do better, who are ready to change the game with full hearts and pure conviction?
As adults, it’s important to see that much of this defiance comes from fear: fear of being left behind, left out, or rejected for being different.
The beauty of being over 30 is realizing it’s not nearly as crucial as we thought when we were teenagers. We have our own friends, our own values, and we no longer desperately seek everyone’s approval. We accept that we won’t be everyone’s cup of tea—not even for the eye-rolling, long-socked, unknown-music-listening teens. And that’s perfectly okay. Over 30, it’s enough to watch their world-changing plans and inevitable stumbles with gentle affection, smiling as we quietly Google their new slang from this side of life.
Cover photo: KoolShooters/pexels.com
