This one is open to debate. I have friends who are in their mid-twenties who jokingly call me an Old Man even though I don't feel it. Conversely, I know people who are just turning twenty and think they're 'getting on a bit'. These are the people I tend to beat up with my bus pass... Anyway, the point is it comes down to how you see yourself and what "age" means to you. What I've discovered about reaching my third decade is, I have no desire to go back and be that age again. Much like you don't miss your teens when you finally burst your way through them, when you turn thirty, your younger self can go suck it. Here's why: Most people know that you can't take teenagers seriously. My Mum used to lecture me for holding onto the opinions and interests I had back then because she knew I would either grow out of them or change as my experiences broadened. And she was right. I did change, and what I changed into is something I wouldn't want to undo by being eighteen again. Growing up you still have a lot of discovering to do. People (often family members) are trying to figure what you'll become or the kind of person you'll turn into. This is probably why we go through so many phases. We change our hairstyles, our tastes, our political opinions (if any) because we don't know enough about the world and we're still sampling everything that's in front of us. Which is a good thing. These days people don't seem to question my choices. I've had long hair since I was about nineteen and I was constantly bombarded with questions about when I was going to get it cut. Surely it's just a phase, they'd say. Eleven years later and I still have my hair. Everyone has stopped asking me if I'm ever going to get rid of it because it's basically who I am. If I was going to get it cut, I'd have done it by now. Maybe when I turn forty I'll have another change of heart. Maybe I'll see the age I'm at right now as something I'm embarrassed to recall: "I can't believe I used to be into that crap!" But that's the point. As we grow older we stop worrying about how much we miss being younger because we're always growing. There may be a point where we finally settle into 'our ways' and I'm starting to think being thirty is the first stage of this metamorphoses.
