Gather around, folks, today we are going to complain about adults who infantilize themselves. At least, I am. Your options are: agree, or be an innocent bystander. Or be offended, I suppose, but the only people I know who behave that way don’t read this blog, so I should be safe.
My very favorite writer in the whole world, E.F. Benson (sorry Mr. Brust, you’re a close second), coined the phrase “grizzly kittens”. The best example, a quote I found years later verbatim in an otherwise nondescript fantasy novel, is “they skipped and gamboled to show how girlish an age is 34 and 35.”
I don’t “play”. I may amuse myself, in fact I often do. My name is Carole and I play games too much. Notice the specificity, I play games. Like a steering wheel on a pirate’s belt, it drives me nuts when an otherwise intelligent and functional adult says, “Let’s go out and play!” They always speak in exclamation points, have you noticed that?
When someone over 40 (or 50, or 60) wants to appear youthful, it’s generally embarrassing—mostly because they’re doing what they think people did when they were young. They’re usually wrong, which is rather sad.
Stipulation: With all respect to Generation X, there are huge swaths of the over-40 demographic who spend their time playing computer games, staying current with modern music and eschewing attire that previously typified responsible adulthood. More power to us, I mean them. I’m talking about the bombastically annoying “I may be old but I’m not a grown-up!” mentality.
Repeat after me: Dignity is a good thing. Besides, it’s cheap at the price.
1 comment:
cookie dear
with the guidance of teacher Lynn I made it on to this scary website and i feel as if i'm invading an outof world continent -- Love your blogs must run since class is waiting luv mum
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