What does age appropriate mean for adults? I know for children it means the age a child is roughly doing a particular activity and is used by parents and teachers as a guideline. I can see this can be useful, but can also have problems. 

Most people get their car license before they are 20 but some get it much later in life or some, like me, never get it. Does that mean it is age inappropriate for me to walk everywhere?

So what does age appropriate when applied to an adult really mean? Does it mean that once you are grown up you can not have fun, do childish things, be silly and love toys.

How many times have you heard someone say why don’t you grow up and behave like an adult and stop wasting your time and money on comics, toys, dress ups or any other item considered to be childish.

Why must there be a use by age for some activities. If a person in their 5Os wants to sleep with a teddy bear, or a person in their 40s wants to jump in puddles or a person in their 60s wants to blow bubbles why can’t they? Of course there are laws  that must be obeyed. There are  certain ideas about age appropriate behaviour that some people feel they need to make others follow.

I find adult children tend to roll their eyes and tell their parents to act their age. Act your age as if once you hit middle age you can’t do fun things. If you are not hurting anyone what does it matter if you like wearing colourful clothes and playing with play dough.

What do you think? 

Should we have age appropriate activities for adults? Or maybe let us all feel free to do things regardless of age as adults? Is prescribing a certain age limit on certain activities stifling our creativity?

Leah

A Moodscope member.