I'm sure I've mentioned that I work in a college town. I generally like it, and enjoy reliving my youth by watching the kids across the street from my office window do things like drink and barbecue starting at 10:00 AM on a random Wednesday. But I occasionally find myself wondering what, exactly, these college kids might think of me.
The other day, I went out to move my car from the BFE parking lot to a closer lot. There was a kid just returning from spring break who was parked a couple of spaces away from me. He was unloading his bright pink suitcases from his car and yelling across the street to a girl sitting on her porch with a book on her lap and a tasty-looking cocktail in her hand. As I watched them and envied their carefree college lifestyles, I started to wonder what they were thinking about me (as if they actually noticed me). You know, what do the younguns think of the hugely pregnant woman in a suit and heels, rushing across her office parking lot to her minivan? I wonder how old they think I am. I'm probably only five to seven years older than most of the kids I run into, but I bet I seem ancient to them. I wonder if they envy or pity the life I seem to have (career, kid on the way, pseudo soccer mom status). I wonder if they hope to have some of that some day, or if they're appalled by the though.
Mostly, though, I wonder why I wonder about what's going on in the college kids' heads. I'm guessing they don't give me a second thought. I'm sure I wouldn't have when I was in college. But still I wonder.
2 comments:
I just stumbled upon your blog today and loved this post about college kids. we have one college about 15mins north and one huge one 30min south so these kids are everywhere and there I am 27 feeling ancient. lol. it only got worse when i had baby number three, then i felt really old compared to them and their carefree lives.
carrie b
www.citymom-countrymom.com
I wonder about this too! Our grocery store is staffed mostly by high school and college kids, and one time the clerk and the bagger were discussing SATs, and I joined the discussion and it was super awk: clearly they were like, "What does GRANDMA here know about SATs??" And I was like, that was just a few years ago! And then I realized I took the SATs before they were born, sooooooo....
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