How old do you think I am, Wow, that one is tricky!

when you are growing up, and I mean for all your life, because think about it, that term is only used when you are a child who is growing up.. But I think you can use it to more than that, because we are growing up for everyday that goes.. Why does it have to be only for a child who is getting older?
Why cant it be when you are getting married? (I mean married, of course, when you are living in a civilized society and where you are not considered as an adult when you get your first tooth!)
"Aaah look at Pete, he is getting married, you know, they are growing up so fast these days!" "uuh, mom, I am 28 but hey I guess you are right, I am growing up!" Or, when you get into your first senior citizen- home (residential retirement home), "Aaaah look at my grandfather, just 75 and already in a retirement home, he is really growing up, oops grandpa (!) dropped your teeth there!"

Okey, maybe it should be used how it always has been used because that last part was just plain old crazy..and maybe even a little obscene...

But understand me here, We are of course "growing" all the time and we are getting older... But how do we decide when someone is "old"? Over 70 or when you cant eat an apple without chipping a tooth, because someone forgot to peel it and cut it into small pieces?
When are you "too old" for something? are you "too old" when you see your own child at the same place you hang out in while getting drunk? Or is it just your child who is "too young" to be there? In what cases can you say, "Wow, I am really getting old!" and "Wow, I am getting older!"... or are they the same!? are you "getting old" when your eyes doesnt quite cooperate with you, without helpdevices such as glasses with huge bifocals? And are you "getting older" when you are looking around in a bar and you realize that almost everyone in there, are like what 18 and you are, well, NOT! But "getting older" can of course also reflect on when you "feel" older than the ones surrounding you, for using the example already mentioned; in a bar!

How old are you when you want the guess from this conversation to be older than you or younger than you? Out in a bar: "So, how old are you?" "Weell, I dont know, how old do you think I am?" When do you want the guessing person to say a lower number than your actual age or on the contrary? Well, the obvious answer for when you want it to be higher is of course when you are considered too young to even be out in the first place, and you kind of wanna see if you´ll pass..

But lower, is more of a tricky question! I know, when an older woman asks me how old I think she is, I always go with younger because that is what she wants to hear and I am a nice person, even though she looks like she could be a model for a permobil or for coffins , because daaamn she looks old, stick to the bingo and weaving grandma! So I think, for women, they want a lower number when they have passed like, 25-28 depending how vain they are.. But men, I guess they want a lower number when they are I dont know, 35-38 depending how big of a looser they are...

I guess, we have a lot of stuff helping us determing what is "age- appropriate" such as laws and rules, like you cant go out in bars when you are under 18, cant buy strong liquor (unless it´s in a bar, I know it´s tricky stuff..) until you turn 20, cant drive nor vote while beeing under 18 in Sweden and so on.. But I am of course talking about how to know when something is or isnt "suitable", depending how old you are! the rules and laws can of course be helping a lot in some cases:

"He is only 18 years old, he cant get married, it´s going to be illegal for him to drink at his own bachelor- party!" -- "Yeah, and illegal for him to have hookers there...."--- "Always illegal Joe!"

(I knew quotes from "Friends" would come in handy some day...)