What's it like being twenty years old?

[Papenbrook]

Near the end of this year, I will be turning twenty years old.

I don't know what it will be like, but I want to hear your thoughts on the matter.

[Utrommaniac]

Ain't no different than being 19. After 21, I just stopped caring. Sometimes I forget I'm 24.

[Powder]

It will be no different than 19.

When you reach 25/26, however, the "Oh my God, I'm almost 30..." thoughts may intrude.

[mrmaczaps]

Its just a new day, month, year and then you're 21.... time might move a bit faster and blur things a little... add drinking and I hear it goes faster & blurrier....

[IndigoErth]

Like an adult child. Adult, but olders beyond 25 or 30 think you still act 16 at times.

Also, 21-year-olds tend to be the 14-year-olds of the 20s.

Would love to return to my 20s, but if it's saying much, I'd rather stick with 25 or later.

Final thought... don't take the 20s for granted. As long as the teens seem to drag on, the 20s (and sadly 30s - and I assume all others ) go by fast enough to give you whiplash.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Powder

It will be no different than 19.

When you reach 25/26, however, the "Oh my God, I'm almost 30..." thoughts may intrude.

Yeah, pretty much this. If I recall, you and I were both born in 1990, so we're around the same age(I turn 27 in November).

Turning 18 was a bigger deal although turning 20 was a bit odd since I was entering a new decade, so to speak. I mean, I turned 20 in 2010. But I didn't fully stop feeling like a teenager until around 22-23.

Originally Posted by Utrommaniac

Ain't no different than being 19. After 21, I just stopped caring. Sometimes I forget I'm 24.

Eh, no offence, but I'm surprised you're a couple of years younger than I am. I thought you'd be in your 30s by now. Don't ask me why cuz I don't know. Maybe you just come across as mature/serious.

I can relate to forgetting being a certain age. I barely noticed 22 and 23. They went by pretty fast. I don't remember 24 that well either.

[Powder]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Yeah, pretty much this. If I recall, you and I were both born in 1990, so we're around the same age(I turn 27 in November).

Turning 18 was a bigger deal although turning 20 was a bit odd since I was entering a new decade, so to speak. I mean, I turned 20 in 2010. But I didn't fully stop feeling like a teenager until around 22-23.


Eh, no offence, but I'm surprised you're a couple of years younger than I am. I thought you'd be in your 30s by now. Don't ask me why cuz I don't know. Maybe you just come across as mature/serious.

I can relate to forgetting being a certain age. I barely noticed 22 and 23. They went by pretty fast. I don't remember 24 that well either.

We were, yes, & in the same month, apparently! We grow more alike by the day, eh?

I didn't find 18 to be a big deal whatsoever, myself. I spent my teenage years getting into clubs, buying smokes/alcohol, etc, between that & the things I was up to, I had a full dose of "adulthood" long before the law said I should. 21 didn't really land for the same reasons. Now, at 26, I still feel like a teenager in many respects. Not so much for petty high school sorts of reasons, but mainly due to my desire to just have fun, be a bit careless, get by thanks to music, & so on. At the same time, the fact I'm NOT one is way more evident than ever before, as I watch people around me getting married, having kids, etc. I also feel like sh*t, but it's probably more to do with health problems than it is aging. I've definitely had a lot of realizations about what it means to get older, though. Things my parents told me as a kid finally make sense, but not for the better. Some wisdom, is a burden.

It is true that once you reach a certain age, time seems to increase doubly, perhaps moreso. I googled that phenomena some time back, & they say its because you generally create less memories, & sorta run out of milestones for a while, which would otherwise create mental checkpoints. Stating it so vaguely it may seem a bit odd, but look it up, there are a lot of points which make perfect sense of it. Scary, in a way, really.

My advice to Papenbrook & anyone else with the privilege of youth- make the absolute best of it. Take risks, make new friends, try everything. If you wanna do illegal stuff, do it while you're cute & innocent looking, but know where to draw the line. If you're fat, work it off now, 'cause it gets harder later. Time moves quickly, there are an abundance of tomorrows but today is always better.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Powder

We were, yes, & in the same month, apparently! We grow more alike by the day, eh?

I didn't find 18 to be a big deal whatsoever, myself. I spent my teenage years getting into clubs, buying smokes/alcohol, etc, between that & the things I was up to, I had a full dose of "adulthood" long before the law said I should. 21 didn't really land for the same reasons. Now, at 26, I still feel like a teenager in many respects. Not so much for petty high school sorts of reasons, but mainly due to my desire to just have fun, be a bit careless, get by thanks to music, & so on. At the same time, the fact I'm NOT one is way more evident than ever before, as I watch people around me getting married, having kids, etc. I also feel like sh*t, but it's probably more to do with health problems than it is aging. I've definitely had a lot of realizations about what it means to get older, though. Things my parents told me as a kid finally make sense, but not for the better. Some wisdom, is a burden.

It is true that once you reach a certain age, time seems to increase doubly, perhaps moreso. I googled that phenomena some time back, & they say its because you generally create less memories, & sorta run out of milestones for a while, which would otherwise create mental checkpoints. Stating it so vaguely it may seem a bit odd, but look it up, there are a lot of points which make perfect sense of it. Scary, in a way, really.

Next thing you're telling me we share the same exact birthday. Mine is on November 15. Is that yours as well?

Well, I wasn't really doing any of those things as a teenager. I was more of a late bloomer. I definitely felt different from 16-17 to 18. I became a metalhead around 17-18 and also suddenly became a bit more outgoing and less "geeky looking".

Well ageing can be a bit scary. Not just in the health department but also in the professional career aspect as well. Let's not forget you and I were turning 17-18 around the time the bubble burst. We were unlucky in that aspect compared to other generations.

Yes, that phenomenon is well known. Although a 50 year old woman told me once she remembers very well being around my age as if it was yesterday and also told me I was gonna reach 50 sooner than I expected. Welp.

[Utrommaniac]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Eh, no offence, but I'm surprised you're a couple of years younger than I am. I thought you'd be in your 30s by now. Don't ask me why cuz I don't know. Maybe you just come across as mature/serious.

I'm actually flattered . The "It only took 30 years" tagline under my icon probably doesn't help much.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Utrommaniac

I'm actually flattered . The "It only took 30 years" tagline under my icon probably doesn't help much.

Tbh I hadn't even noticed your tag until now that you've pointed it out.

[Utrommaniac]

Eh, that's fair. I've actually had other people on the internet think I'm older than I actually am because of the way I write. And in very early instances, assumptions that I was a guy .

But yeah, being 20 is nbd. Just an early part of the Emerging Adulthood stage. I was in community college. I turned 21 while helping a lady at a frame shop sort her sample frames (Which took a couple months to complete!). I'm pretty sure I ended things with my first boyfriend then.

[Powder]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Next thing you're telling me we share the same exact birthday. Mine is on November 15. Is that yours as well?

Well, I wasn't really doing any of those things as a teenager. I was more of a late bloomer. I definitely felt different from 16-17 to 18. I became a metalhead around 17-18 and also suddenly became a bit more outgoing and less "geeky looking".

Well ageing can be a bit scary. Not just in the health department but also in the professional career aspect as well. Let's not forget you and I were turning 17-18 around the time the bubble burst. We were unlucky in that aspect compared to other generations.

Yes, that phenomenon is well known. Although a 50 year old woman told me once she remembers very well being around my age as if it was yesterday and also told me I was gonna reach 50 sooner than I expected. Welp.

24th for me. Alas, we don't share an astrological sign.

I was an early bloomer, really. I got into heavy music at 10, was in a gang by 13, drugs the next year, sex following that. I got all the crazy sh*t out of my system already by the time I was 21. IMO it's better to do all that wild stuff in your teens rather than the college years. I'm glad it went that way for me, if it had to at all. It's a lot harder to bounce back from when you've gotta juggle a job, living on your own, & whatever other adult stuff that can come with the territory of 21+.

Yeah, making a living is a whole 'nother conversation. I've been lucky to see money from some of my creative endeavors, but as life becomes more expensive, I'm finding it a far less reliable source of income. Bills are bullsh*t city. Depending on what kind of person you are, the only difference between 15 & 25 may be that you now owe hundreds to thousands of dollars a month to various companies. That's the real bitch of it, feeling like a kid but having the responsibilities of an adult...

& that 50 year old woman was speaking the truth, I'm sure. 2005 through 2007 were some of my most fun years, over a decade ago now yet it feels like it was just around the corner. & franchises I love being so old now really put things in perspective too. Pokemon is 20 years old! Gosh.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Powder

It will be no different than 19.

When you reach 25/26, however, the "Oh my God, I'm almost 30..." thoughts may intrude.

Yeah, 25 is big. That's some real "Uh oh" stuff.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Powder

24th for me. Alas, we don't share an astrological sign.

I was an early bloomer, really. I got into heavy music at 10, was in a gang by 13, drugs the next year, sex following that. I got all the crazy sh*t out of my system already by the time I was 21. IMO it's better to do all that wild stuff in your teens rather than the college years. I'm glad it went that way for me, if it had to at all. It's a lot harder to bounce back from when you've gotta juggle a job, living on your own, & whatever other adult stuff that can come with the territory of 21+.

Yeah, making a living is a whole 'nother conversation. I've been lucky to see money from some of my creative endeavors, but as life becomes more expensive, I'm finding it a far less reliable source of income. Bills are bullsh*t city. Depending on what kind of person you are, the only difference between 15 & 25 may be that you now owe hundreds to thousands of dollars a month to various companies. That's the real bitch of it, feeling like a kid but having the responsibilities of an adult...

& that 50 year old woman was speaking the truth, I'm sure. 2005 through 2007 were some of my most fun years, over a decade ago now yet it feels like it was just around the corner. & franchises I love being so old now really put things in perspective too. Pokemon is 20 years old! Gosh.

Well, I'd wager most people start doing the things you mentioned around the ages of 15-17. You can legally drink here around 16(I think it's 18 today) but everyone was already trying alcohol around 14 when I was in 9th-10th grade. And most were smoking tobacco already and probably trying weed as well.

2005 was an OK year from what I remember. 2006 to 2008 were kind of lousy but 2009 was better overall. My teenage years weren't that great tbh.

I can't relate to most people of my circle having kids and getting married. That might be different in yoyr area but not many people marry or have kids nowadays where i live before 28-29.

Yeah, when I was a kid I assumed that adults magically knew everything or almost everything worth knowing about life and that, one day, you'd automatically know how to do all of those things as well. Kinda funny that I used to think that.

[Utrommaniac]

I am in a little bit of a place where I'm feeling a little left behind by the people in my age groups that do have kids and their own homes and "real" jobs, since I'm a bit of a "slow burner"...and my boyfriend is also a "slow burner" with severe depression and anxiety.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Utrommaniac

I am in a little bit of a place where I'm feeling a little left behind by the people in my age groups that do have kids and their own homes and "real" jobs, since I'm a bit of a "slow burner"...and my boyfriend is also a "slow burner" with severe depression and anxiety.

I can sorta relate to that as well. I am not done with my studies yet unlike most people around my age, but then again I started later since I wasn't able to get into uni at age of 18 like most people did. Oh well everyone has their own pace.

Lack of gf and kids doesn't bother me in the least.

[MrPliggins]

I took 20 pretty hard at the time, but looking back it wasn't bad at all. It doesn't really feel any different. My 30s are almost over now. I can't tell you how fast the past 20 years have flown by, but you'll find out eventually. There are vivid memories which will always be there, so it will always seems like time is flying because those memories are so vivid they feel like yesterday.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Yeah, 25 is big. That's some real "Uh oh" stuff.

25 was when I realised time isn't going back and that I'm an adult and not a kid anymore.

[newfan]

I feel old this morning

I remember not liking getting older from about 20, I didn't like 25 and I refused to celebrate being 30.... I wish I was 30 still Though If I could take some years off now I don't think it would be right back to 20.

[DarkFell]

I felt like a teenager during my twenty years of existence.

Those days have since past, and yet I some-what feel about the same, despite the extra mileage and the grown-up responsibilities.

Don't rush turning 21.