Don't know if I should be insulted by this...

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Last week, after reaching my limit for living a house with 2 inconsiderate smokers (long story), I decided to get a taxi up to my Grandmother's house for a change of scenery and some much needed R&R.
Well, giving that Dublin taxi drivers are naturally chatty, I polietly went along with him when he engaged me in casual conversation.
It was mostly standard stuff- the weather, the economy, employment and so forth.

Then, the topic turned to family life.
I explained I was off to see my grandmother and he started talking about his own family.

This is how the conversation went:

DRIVER: *rambling on about his 3 toddlers*....So, d'ya have any children yourself?

ME: Oh, no! Not until I'm least 35!

DRIVER: Ah, that's not far off! A good age, though.

ME: I beg your pardon? what are you insinuating?

DRIVER: You're, what- 30-33 years old?

ME: Um, no? *bewildered*

DRIVER:. No? are you married?

ME: *shocked* No! Of course not!

DRIVER: How old ARE you?

ME: I'll be 21 in April.

DRIVER: *pause* ...Oh.

(Awkward silence)

Admittedly, I wasn't wearing make up at the time and my normally milky complexion was pretty much zombie-rific owing to a bad chest infection but in all honesty, I'm shocked by the lack of tact. I know I'm not as young as I used to be but I never expected to be mistaken for a 30-something.

With my 21st birthday just around the corner (April 15th), I'm not sure if I should be insulted.

Does this mean (on the outside at least) that look old?

I generally feel permanently stuck on 12...

Don't take it personally. My hair turned grey when I was 40, ever since people think I'm anywhere from 10 to 20 years older than I really am.

Look at it this way; if the cabbie knew anything, he wouldn't be a cabbie.

And if he knew everything, he'd run a pub.

Irish women with milky complexions are exceptionally attractive to me, even if they have freckles too.

Slaintè!

When I was in my early to mid 20's, I often had people tell me I looked 5-10 years older as well. It was probably some combination of appearance and/or mannerisms. Maybe he thought you were older because you carried yourself like a mature adult; therefore, take it as a compliment.

If I were you I'd forget all about it. The driver was obviously a clod and we should never waste time thinking about what the clods of the world think or say. It was none of his @#!%$# business how old you are or look. He clearly has no finesse. If he did he probably would have a better job.

I started getting the gray hairs at about that age. I keep em away with hair dye.

All cabbies are chatty because they're bored out of their minds. The more one chats, the more one slips up. That's why I keep my gob shut. If a "physician" thinks you look older, then you have something to worry about. Cabbies should just keep their feckin' eyes on the road. Sometimes they just bust your agits for the rush. They get a kick out of it...especially the older men. I was very heavy when I was a young girl and I had a cabbie complain about "drag" in the cab. When I finally left the cab, he probably laughed his arse off. They all do that when they get back to the depot for laughs. Young girls are always targeted because we won't punch 'em in the mouth or rob their till. We just get all self-conscious and let it stick in our minds for months. Let it go already. That cabbie had a good laugh with his buddies and forgot all about it. You were just another anonymous young female to get at. They need the fun because some people really hurt them or do really disgusting things in their cab and they're stuck cleaning up all sorts of filth. I drove a cab for two months...NEVER...I say NEVER...NEVER AGAIN!

Oh Gosh, I'm turning 21 soon too and reading your post, I now see having my ID/age checked upon entrance into a discothèque two days ago from a whole new perspective now.

Cabbies are idiots. I've driven a cab for a bit as a side-job and couldn't stand most of the people who worked at the cab company as their permanent job.

Try to forget him, does he not know it is rude to speculate about a ladies weight or age.

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Health is a state of physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity I am not a jigsaw, I am a free man !

Diagnosed under the DSM5 rules with autism spectrum disorder, under DSM4 psychologist said would have been AS (299.80) but I suspect that I am somewhere between 299.80 and 299.00 (Autism) under DSM4.

When I was 18, the guy I worked for assumed I was in my mid 20s. I actually found it flattering then because hey... I was 18. It felt good to look old enough to drink.

Then when I actually WAS 21, one of the other actresses I was working with mistook me for being in my early 30s. That one hurt.

I guess that thing about all of us looking really young isn't true.

Well I am not sure why you would be bothered by what some random taxi driver thinks you look like. If you are happy with how you look it doesn't matter what a taxi driver thinks.

Anyway, some people are awful estimators of age (like me) so he might just be like that and be bad at picking ages in general (so it is not personal to you, maybe he thinks everyone is 10 years older than they look).

I dunno why everyone is calling taxi-drivers dumb and using this as a reason of why you shouldn't be offended. There is nothing offensive about stating a general age you believe someone to be and getting it wrong.

Did the cabbie turn round a look at you when you got into the cab? Most likely he was basing a large portion of his judgement on your voice and the way you use it, he can only see you in a tiny mirror or with side long glances. I'd have probably crashed the car trying to figure out your age lol