People on Reddit recently discussed common mistakes that folks in their fifties and sixties make. Whether they made the errors in question or simply noticed aging relatives making them, many of the answers were enlightening. Here are 15 of the top responses (and what others had to say about them):
15. “Thinking You Can’t Go Back To School”
“After starting and dropping out several times over 28 years or so, I finally graduated at 51. Ten years later, I’m considering a master’s degree, even though at this point it won’t make any real difference career-wise. I feel like it’d maybe be worth it to keep my brain sharp, but we’ll see.”
“I’m back in school, a lot of days gen Z is incredibly scary/intimidating but very welcoming and open people semester after semester (even the gunners!).”
14. “Constantly ask their kids when they’re gonna have grandkids.”
“Especially when most of the time their kids aren’t as financially stable as they were in their 20s/30s.”
“True, plus not everyone wants to/is able to have kids.”
13. “Falling victim to nostalgia.”
“Yes, it was great that we all rode our bikes everywhere and knew what a mimeograph machine was and blah blah blah, but ffs, the world keeps moving and every day there are amazing new artistic, cultural, and technological developments. Looking at the world through a lens distorted by nostalgia ossifies your thinking. Nothing makes you act more like an old person than being absorbed by nostalgia.”
12. “Not getting a colonoscopy.”
“Don’t skip your colonoscopy. Turned 51 three weeks ago. Just had a full prostatectomy.”
“My doctor said, after I finally had a colonoscopy that I delayed far too long: “We found a little mass but it is very treatable. I’m glad we caught it in time.” Please don’t delay any longer.”
11. “Retiring too early.”
“If you don’t have a concrete plan in place of what you’re going to do with that down time, DO NOT DO IT. You will be bored out of your skull and nothing good comes of that.”
Counter argument: “I retired at 50 and I don’t miss work at all. That was almost 20 years ago. I was way more bored at work than I have been since I retired. I look forward to days when I have nothing to do. They are rare.”
10. “Making big impractical purchases with ongoing costs, like boats.”
“Boats are quite literally insane financially. Not talking some little thing on a trailer with an outboard, but proper boats are like burning money. At least 10% of their price every year, just to park and keep it running (if nothing actually goes wrong with it, which it will), then an absurd amount of fuel to just do basic trips…”
9. “Starting a second family.”
“My dad married his 3rd wife (24 years his junior) and proceeded to have 3 more children. He was 72 when his oldest child graduated high school. Died broke and broken at 80 years old.”
“My husband and I are 47 and 48. The amount of numbskulls who keep asking is if we’re gonna have more kids now that ours are older is mind boggling. One is 19, the other is 30 and on their own. Hell nah!”
8. “Thinking you’re old.”
“Believe it or not you can continue to learn, grow, party, explore and be active in your 50s.”
“Most people who think they’re old are just fat.”
“They’re not – I’m in my 60’s now, but my 50’s were my favorite years…”
7. “Pretending you’re still as young as ever.”
“‘I can pull an all-nighter’ ‘Yeah – I can still drink you under the table’ ‘If I just ignore that ache, it’ll go away.’ All said by me. All wrong.”
“I could drink mid-twenties me under the table any day. But mid-twenties me could get up the next day, run a mile, puke, run another mile, have breakfast and no longer have a hangover. Now I’m lucky to get up the next day.”
6. “Refusing to let their adult children fail at stuff.”
“This one has been hard for me. My oldest is getting divorced, and I want so bad to reach out to both of them and say “you could fix this if you cared enough!” But I’m just biting my tongue.”
“And then you get to keep rescuing them until they are in their 50s and you don’t know what to do because you aren’t going to outlive them but they have no idea how to take care of themselves.”
5. “Not taking care of their parent’s estate.”
“No one ever really tells you in your 50s you’ll probably wind up taking care of your parents. So get their house in order: wills, living wills, POAs, Asset-protection Trusts, etc. Trust me, you don’t want to put this off!”
“So true! Be prepared and if you have siblings, get on the same page, especially with anything financial.”
4. “Not exercising.”
“It really makes me sad watching friends and coworkers really struggling physically.”
“Yes cardio and weight lifting is a must for everyone especially after turning 40. I see friends and people struggling to do basic daily tasks like carrying shopping, picking things off the ground or getting up from the floor that are still youngish.”
3. “Reaching for something at an awkward angle”
“Goes with the whole waking up and getting out of bed danger.”
“When I was 52, I popped something in my arm by reaching up behind me to turn on a lamp. It’s been over a year, and it still hurts.”
“52 years old. Threw out my back picking a cabbage up from a basket on the floor.”
2. “Thinking They’re Too Old For New Adventures”
“I’m currently laying down the foundation for a career change myself at 57. The thought, “Who wants to hire an old guy?” keeps creeping into my head. But damn it I’m bored where I am at and want to do something different. I hate being stale and am constantly looking to keep my skill set relevant.”
1. “Ditching Their Long-Term Spouse”
“I work for a divorce attorney and I’d say the number of people in their 50’s who decide to ditch their long term spouse for a flashy new person who they think is their ‘soulmate’ is pretty common. News flash: in 18 months or when the shine wears off, you realize that the new person has a bunch of aggravating flaws and you lost 50% of your retirement and blew up your family for nothing special.”
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS COMING UP:
10 Things Frowned Upon Today That Were Normal in the Nineties
You could get away with all sorts back in the nineties that’d wouldn’t go down well in today’s world! Here are 10 such things you might remember.
10 THINGS FROWNED UPON TODAY THAT WERE NORMAL IN THE NINETIES
10 Typical Nineties Scenarios That Today’s Youth Will Never Understand
Bedrooms were filled with Beanie Babies, Nickelodeon was forever on TV, and your biggest responsibility was remembering to feed your Tamagotchi. Here are 10 everyday Nineties scenarios kids today will never experience.
10 TYPICAL NINETIES SCENARIOS THAT TODAY’S YOUTH WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND
10 Things Folks From the Nineties and Earlier Did Before Bed (According to the Internet)
What did people in the 90s do before going to bed? After all, they didn’t have a smartphone to stare at! Here are 10 pre-bedtime preferences from the nineties, as voted for by people online.
10 THINGS FOLKS FROM THE NINETIES AND EARLIER DID BEFORE BED (ACCORDING TO THE INTERNET)
10 Common Nineties Meals That Kids These Days Will Never Know
Child of the nineties or earlier? Are there any meals you used to eat all the time back then that you never see anymore? Here are 10 that might ring a bell.
10 COMMON NINETIES MEALS THAT KIDS THESE DAYS WILL NEVER KNOW
10 Fascinating Facts You’ve Almost Certainly Never Seen Before
Here’s the second instalment of this popular series, where we pull together 10 of the most popular facts from the “Today I Learned” Reddit community from the last week.
10 FASCINATING FACTS YOU’VE ALMOST CERTAINLY NEVER SEEN BEFORE
Source: Reddit.