Act Your Age...

"Act your age"

Many of us have heard this phrase.  Many of us have used this phrase.  Even Prince, or the artist formerly known as, sang this phrase, “Act your age, not your shoe size…”

But what does it really mean?  Is there some rulebook somewhere that contains a detailed set of rules and regulations regarding each specific age?  Where is this rulebook?  I would first like to read it and then promptly throw it out a second story window.

I’m sure at one point or another in our lives, everyone has been told to act their age.  Most likely it was said to you by your mother referring to some deviant act occurring between the ages of 8 -12.  Another likely possibility is that it was said by a girlfriend/boyfriend, sibling or friend to a person of a certain age, holding onto their Peter Pan complex.

This past weekend I spent all of Saturday playing in a pool with family and friends.  During my game of ‘airplane’ with a very giggly three year old friend, I looked around the pool and realized that I was the oldest one by about ten years, give or take.  This made me wonder; at 25 how am I supposed to act?  How do people expect me to act?  Should I be sitting on the sidelines watching the kids play?  Am I now too ‘old’ to be horsing around in a pool?  Before I could give this anymore thought I was promptly tackled underwater by the 'boy’s team.'  Silly I forgot about the game of ‘keep away’ I started 20 minutes prior…water up your nose still hurts at any age!

Thoroughly exhausted and showing my age, I crawled out of the pool and into the car where my mommy and daddy were waiting to take me home to bed.  On the way I started mulling over the whole notion of “acting your age.”  At some point everyone grows up.  You mature, gain wisdom and accept more responsibility in life.  These are all necessary and wonderful things.

But, what about fun?  I consider myself lucky to have family and friends who don’t take themselves too seriously.  Mainly because, we have a lot of fun.   Sometimes when people ‘grow up’ they forget all about being a kid and that’s a shame.  When you’re a kid ‘fun’ isn’t proper or neat.  Kids don’t do things for show or to impress people.  Kids don’t care what you think!  They seek fun out!

As we approached the end of my block, I decided that I don’t give a flying leap what people think.  If I want join a neighborhood game of dodge ball or slide headfirst down the slide or yell really loud in an appropriate venue or let a three year old push me in the pool twenty times in a row, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.  If anyone has a problem with that, I hope they have a rulebook handy.  

Everyone has an inner child.  Mine is slightly theatrical and loves the water.  I let her play as much as I can.  What does your inner child want to do?  Maybe you should let them out to play sometime!

 

~E