To all the people who have struggled with people questioning your age, I feel your pain. In fact, I am probably one of the youngest looking 19 year olds on the planet. Dear world, surprise, I am actually 19. I am aware that I look like I am 12, but I am actually capable of owning my own pet, voting, driving, operating heavy machinery, and so much more. Please take a moment to enjoy some personal experiences that I've had with looking younger than my age.
1. “Obviously not you"
I recently went out to dinner with a friend who is just a few months older than me. The server said, "would either of you like to try a wine sample" and turns to me and says, "well obviously not you". My friend politely turned him down because she isn’t legal and we proceeded to hold in our laughter until the waiter left. It took everything I had to not scream “I’M 19 AND YOU JUST OFFERED MY 19 YEAR OLD FRIEND WINE” as he walked away. I’ve come to realize that I will never be offered a wine sample until I am 35 with my own children at the table…maybe not even then.
2. When you go somewhere with your mom, they never treat you like an adult.
When a question is asked in public, they automatically turn to my mom for an answer. I was at a nail salon and they asked her all of the questions about my manicure. My mom said, “you know, she’s actually 19.” Embarrassed, they proceeded to apologize and I told them I get it all the time.
3. Kids’ cups and menus.
I think I was around the age of 17 when people finally stopped asking if I wanted a kid’s menu. It was never a surprise when the hostess would ask my parents if I needed one, but it certainly got annoying as a junior in high school. No, I don’t need a dinosaur cup, thank you.
4.“Can they have knives?”
Ah, this one was my favorite! When I was 14, we went out to dinner with some friends at the beach. This time, my battle was not fought alone. The waitress asked my mom and my friend’s mom if we were allowed to have knives to cut up our steaks. We were given kids cups and shamefully drank from them while we gobbled down our steaks from the ADULT menu.
5. Carded until you’re 40
It’s a struggle that runs in my family. I’m almost positive that I will be carded until 40. I feel like I will be thankful for it when I get older because it will make me feel young again. However, that’s a lot of years of having to reach into your wallet to get your I.D.
6. College tours
When I’d bring my older sister (who also looks young for her age) on a college tour, everyone would assume the tour was for her. They would hand her the papers and she’d hand them over to me. “No I’m not just the little sister on the tour. I might come here next year!”
7. Driving
When I first started driving, I was so paranoid that I would get pulled over because they thought I was too young to be driving. Luckily this never happened, but I’ve definitely gotten some weird looks at intersections.
8. Babysitting
Taking the kids you babysit out of the house is a struggle in itself. However, it doesn’t help when you look like their oldest sibling and not their caretaker. When you pull up in their family’s minivan, you feel the judgment as you pull the kids out of their car seats. I AM A RESPONSIBLE ADULT, PEOPLE.
9. When someone swears and apologizes
I find it hilarious when people apologize for swearing because they think I’m a kid. Their look of shock when they realize that I’m in the room is nothing short of priceless. Don’t worry guys, I’ve heard them all before. I’m actually in college.
10. “You’ll be thankful for it later”
Every time someone assumes I am younger than my actual age, they’ll say “oh you’ll be so thankful for this later”. Yes, I’m sure I will be, but right now, I look like I am 12. Here is your kids menu back, thank you for your time.
Believe it or not, all of these are first-hand experiences that have happened to me in recent years. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of advantages to looking approximately 5 years younger such as kids' discounted prices and a lack of judgment when you still order off the kids' menu. However, I hope these 10 little stories gave you a little peak into my world. Though we be but little, we are fierce.
