Perspectives

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In the past and the present, how did you percieve people older than you?

For me I always percieved older kids as being "adults" while kids my age and younger were just "kids"

The earliest I can recall on this topic is December 1983. It was right before christmas and I was in daycare. The daycare I went to was rehearsing a short christmas performance. The place was open room in the basement of church was divided into three areas using portable partition walls ala "Office Space". All the kids were gathered up in the area that was used for storage complete with folding tables, chairs stacked up, and other things all shoved off to the side so kids my age, 3, 4, 5, and 6 could rehearse without bothering the infants thru 2 year olds who were in their play area.

I was to have no part in the production what so ever. I did not have the patient or tolerance for such things as a rehearsed play. So while seven kids dressed in reindeer hats practiced pulling santa's sleigh which was actually a red wagon, I sat leaning my back against this partiton wall next to 5 year old. I was 4 and I can recall thinking to myself that I was sitting next to an older kid. Looking at him I realized to myself that as far as I was concerned, he was no more or no less an adult than the actual adults who were working to coridinate things.

Moving on the junior high school. When I was in seventh grade, I remember being scared to death of the some of the freshmen, they were so big, adult looking, and intimidating.

But today when I see the same freshmen, they no more or no less childish to me than the other kids my did in '83.

Is this an autie thing, or common amongst all of us?

I've always had a tendency to see all other people as older/more mature/more important or better than me, like everyone is above me in the hierarchy of things. (The only time age comes into play is now that I'm an adult, if it's a child.) I know in my head that's not really the case, but for some reason that's how my mind wants to perceive it. It's always been like that for me, the same now as it was when I was a kid.

Hmmm. . . . . . . .

I'm tempted to say the usual, that I indeed have experienced all the items scoots has just described, and I am still indeed scared of anyone 12+ as if they were adults.

Inferiority Complex, anyone?

I regard everyone as humans, anything more requires too much effort on my part. I don't care about age, I'll still treat like I would someone my age. But older people tend to be easier to talk with though. I've never liked people my age, usually older or younger. But in terms of heirarchy, everyone's on the same level as me. And I'm including teachers, parents, etc. The only people I'll recognize as being more important than myself is a policeman. But that's not age-related.

thats so funny that you say that. I noticed the same thing as I got older. I remember being maybe 7 or 9 and seeing someone who was twelve and I always thought they were soooo much older, soooo close to adult age. then when I became 12 i noticed how what I thought was not right. and it keeps happening as I get older. Im 25 now, and cant believe that I used to think 25 was so "adultish" ......


LOL

When I was 8,I called the kids who were in 6th grade or older "the big kids".If you were older than 16 you I considered you an adult.


-SpaceCase

I really like people who are older than I am. I can learn a lot from them.

Children often make me nervous, as though they are just waiting to stare and point and whisper about me...

PARANOIA... humz.

Yeah. When I was 10, the 12 year olds looked like adults.

Now i'm 20, the 17 year olds look like tiny wee kids.

I didn't adopt my current view until I was about 14 or 15. Before that, I was like the rest of you.

I always see people as older than me - not more important than me, but older than me (even when they are younger) - except for little kids...

I've noticed for me personally, I view all adults as being "grown up" while I myself don't feel that way, even though I am in my mid 20's and am often times very close in age to these people. I always thought it was just me. I recall thinking other kids were older than me too even when it was only a grade or two difference, to me it felt huge.