Caution: Objects in Mirror Are Older Than They Appear, or Approaching Forty on Facebook

I have somewhat over 300 friends on Facebook, and I would guess that 90% of them I met before I was an adult.  I'll draw the line arbitrarily at about age 21 for that; in other words, if I met you after I left college, you're in the 10%.  But if you are among the vast majority of my FB friends, I met you when I was between 14 and 19.  And this has some consequences.  For example, I recently noticed that among those of you who have kids approaching (or already in) double digits, I'll be scrolling through my Newsfeed and all of the sudden I'll see YOU...well, the you I knew when we first met and we were 15.  Except it's not you. It's your child.  This is disconcerting.

Also making me do double-takes nowadays - if I met you when you were 15 and we were good friends, chances are excellent that I met your parents.  And it has recently become alarming to me that I'll be scrolling through the Newsfeed and all of the sudden I'll see YOUR PARENT...except it's really you.  The math supports me on this one - if you were born when your parents were around 25 (not that unusual in the 70's), when you were 15 and I met your parents, they were...about 40. And voila, the alternate title of this post.

And a special note about Eddie. I am not Eddie's friend on Facebook, because he is the little brother of my sister's elementary school best friend (figure out that relationship!) But he and his wife recently had a baby, because, you know, they are in their thirties, and it's normal to have a kid then.  But I have extremely clear memories of Eddie when he was three (which is the same age as my younger daughter is now).  So in a brain-bending twist, seeing him and his baby has caused me to imagine my three year old as a mom. And it is just too strange.

 So next time I like a photo of your child (even though, most of the time, I have never met your child) or if I hesitate before I like a photo of you (although you will never actually know this), it's just because I am coming to terms with getting older where everyone can see me, on social media. Where the 15-year-olds I remember have become the 40-year-old parents, and I am no exception.