What do you do when someone asks you how old you are?

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I always have a problem with this question, because discovering the motive behind it is difficult for me.

Since a surgery, I've been less inhibited about running onto a play equipment and playing on it. But then almost always someone, often a kid, asks me this question.

Tonight's went something like this with a 5 year old and playing with him for a while (tag, chasing games and climbing games):

"So, are you an adult?"
"Well, Kinda. .."
"Ohhh," he says with a twinkle in his eye, "You're a Teenager!"
"Uh, kinda, but I guess I'm an adult. I just act younger."

I think I made some vain attempt to explain stuff, and the kid innocently asked,

"Oh, so you're a nut, then?"

Which was a fun one to try and answer >.<

What do you do in this situation? I'm always really uncomfortable answering this question, but not because I'm worried about being old.

If that question bothers you, I would answer something like "I'm old enough to know that you're never too old to have fun." : )

If a child presses on further you can ask "Do you ever want to stop having fun?"

If an adult presses on further you can ask "When did you stop having fun?"

If they continue, you can say "I enjoy my life." Smile and walk off.

When the children I teach ask how old I am, I'll often reply that I'm between 1 and 100.

I just tell them.

I generally tell people how old I am and then later regret it because younger people think i am their age and then start treating me differently once they learn I am at least 10 years older than them..(this happened last night aamof)

Mishcana,

WOW! At one point I DID love swings, and even slides. I liked the teeter toter and the merry go round. I remember it like it was yesterday, I think the last time I was on them was when I was 7, and that was almost 40 years ago. My weight, height, strength made them less likely and after MY last surgery, it wouldn't be smart. 8-( ALSO, I used to have a friend that was about 40 years older than I was. I was less than 10 at the time!

Anyway, I don't want to be a pariah, so I won't even go to the park. I could help a kid and it would be fun, but it is RISKY!

BUT If I did what you did, I would simply say I was a kid at heart. In a way, I really am.

I'll agree with chatbrat. Me, I just say how old I am, but I like his replies. They're friendly.

I'm the same way, I just tell them. It's no big deal to me... I can't see how age will bother me.

I know a doctor who tells his 60 and up patients, "Next time you take the grandkids to the park, you get on the swing and let them push." It's good for our balance. Use it or lose it!

I tell people my actual age (50). I've been told that I act younger, I grin and say, "yeah, I don't know what's wrong with them."

Sometimes I tell people I'm 10-15 years older than I am. Then I get the compliment, "wow, you look great for being _______." LOL It's not an issue with me.

You know what? I've always wondered why our society expects people to give up playing when they grow up. It's fun to play at a playground, so why is it considered strange if an adult wants to play? It's acceptable for adults to swing (if it's done in a mild manner), but the only time you can get away with playing on any other kind of playground equipment is when you're playing with a child.

I guess that's why adults are so attracted to amusement parks. You can go ride on merry-go-rounds, roller coasters, the tilt a whirl, etc and no one is going to think anything of it. So does that make sense? It's okay to play at amusement parks but not parks. Hmm...

I always tell them my age when I get asked.

I am concidering stopping.

I just tell people my age when it's asked. Thing for me, though, is that people usually think I'm 40 when they first look at me. My youngest sister's friends all thought I was our mother when they first met me. >_< I swear, another 10 years and they'll take me into an old-folks home. >_>

I forget my age... it takes a couple seconds to remember...

I tell them to guess. If they give a nice young-sounding number I tell them "wow, you're good!". If they tell me a number that I don't like ( a high one) I chastise them.

If I could tell them, I'd tell them; I don't care how old I am, how old I look and/or how I should behave for someone my age.