You Know You Are Old When...

A few weeks ago it was Spirit Week at the Middle School & the Elementary School. Rachel & Sarah were adamant that they wanted to dress up for "decades day".  It was Wednesday evening and decades day was Thursday...we were scouring the internet to find trends from a decade where we could pull something out of the things already existing in our closets or Halloween costume box. As I was pondering what was in my closet I realized that perhaps Rachel could represent the 90's by wearing my old pair of overalls...Yes, I still have 3 pairs of overalls in my closet. No, they don't fit. But, I loved them 20+ years ago, they were my second skin & I have never been able to part with them. They are a great staple for a hillbilly costume & besides they might come in handy someday... But when I realized that my teenager could wear my clothes for a "decades" day at school...I officially felt old!

I had this same feeling about a year or two ago when one of the Young Women in the ward was participating in the high school "Miss Volunteer" pageant. (Volunteer is the high school mascot) For the "evening wear" portion of the pageant she was wanting to sport an "ugly prom dress". Because my ever patient mother had hand made all of my formal dresses for high school dances I have kept them tucked away in a tote in the garage. I knew these dresses were WAY out of style, but I was not prepared for the laughter and mocking when this sweet young woman and her friend came over to find an "ugly prom dress" from my stash. Their laughing & mocking was not out of rudeness but out of disbelief that large puffed sleeves were ever in style or that velvet or taffeta were ever desirable fabrics for formal wear.

You know you are old when the clothes you wore in high school are considered good options for "decades day" and when your prom dress has officially been labeled, "an ugly prom dress"!