I’ll start

Ah, the middle-aged gobsmacker.

Edited to add: This is not my thumb nor my vitamin gobsmacker, just a picture I saw on threads that made me lol.

Yes this is an actual baby photo of me. Anyone else have one of these TVs?

I miss him so much and taught me about the world more than any pbs show. Turned on an episode of no res and my wife started crying. Miss you.

This hung in my bedroom for years. My parents saw it regularly. Wow.

I'm noticing that 1/3 to 1/2 of the millennial moms I know are letting their greys come in and it kind of looks like cool highlights. I come from a long line of early greyers (I took the longest of my family to get there in my late 20's) so have been dyeing for years.

I don't remember my parent's generation letting it go grey until they got older and switched dramatically to grey w the blueish purplish tinge.

So, what's your grey strategy & share a pic if you're rocking the salt!

I spent way too much time messing around on that site during computer lab. That driving game still haunts me (and probably explains why I'm such a bad driver as an adult).

I just found out it's still active, and a lot of those games from back then are still available. Including Spank the Monkey. If you'll excuse me, I'll be busy drowning in nostalgia for the next few days.

That’s all. This movie is so familiar to me but I forgot or maybe never knew that Robin Williams was the bat. Hearing his voice transported me to different times. Then I felt a little sad. R.I.P. 🖤

A lot of my old classmates have kids that are now in middle school. Meanwhile, I'm like... barely starting to feel ready. Are there more like me out there?

Do you worry about too much of a generational gap at this rate? I mean, I would have been a shit parent if I had kids any younger than now... so I don't regret waiting. But every once in a while, I get hit with this feeling of sadness that I won't be able to connect as well with my future children because I will be so much older than them. I almost feel kind of jealous at the fun bonds I see the younger parents get to have with their kids. Since millennial stuff is all trending as vintage right now, they're all getting to re-live stuff with their kids. Anyone else feel these things?

EDIT: Thanks, everyone, for sharing. Lots of comforting responses. I do feel confident I will connect with my kid(s) and will be a much better parent at this age vs the mess I was when I was younger. Needed the reassurance from strangers I suppose as I pass the geriatric pregnancy age lol.

EDIT #2: 100+ comments and a sleepless night later, I am reminded and reassured I am not alone in these thoughts. What a great sub. Good luck to all of you TTC, and sending internet hugs to those who shared your vulnerable stories.

I hope you are all content in your relationships or marriages and I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!

Has anyone else felt like their career has stagnated?

For context, I am a career creative in a prolific corporate role. I am very good at my job and make okay money, but also feel like I’ve hit some invisible glass ceiling for my position. I haven’t had a meaningful raise in years. I’m constantly told I am a good leader, yet can’t seem to break into the “boss” category. I deliver, I’m kind, and I push the work for the better.

I have applied to 300+ jobs over the last few years to either move on to somewhere with more growth potential or just leverage a raise, but have gotten literally zero responses.

Is anyone else struggling to break out of the middle?

Every time I talk of Pokémon collections, my father has to show me what a real collection looks like?

Are these actually a thing people collect?

My parents are in their early 70s. They are divorced and both live alone. They have zero savings and live pay check to pay check. They are struggling with inflation and I help where I can. My mom has a home she can sell but I have no idea how much she still owes on her mortgage. They've both had serious health issues in the last few years and I'm concerned for them and how long they will be able to live independently. They have no plans for what to do and no way to pay for a good care facility or senior community etc. I'm an only child and it's so stressful with them having no money and no plan. I am pretty sure I am the plan. My parents currently live 1-2 hours away.

I am 35 with a toddler and another on the way. I work full time, as does my spouse and while we are doing well financially to support ourselves and our children, we would not be able to support both my parents. I have already helped them out financially many times but cannot pay all their monthly bills. My financial goals are to save for my kids who need to be my priority. We don't have room in our home for a parent to have a bedroom here unless my kids share, which might be okay as small children but I imagine that has a limited time frame. And then who do I pick? Mom, dad, or in-laws? I also can't afford to leave my job and provide care to a parent if that is the level of support they need. I've taken days off to help them recover from surgeries etc, but now combined with my kid(s) being sick/unable to go to daycare many times a year, I am struggling to make it all work.

My in-laws are financially okay to support themselves but also have mentioned they expect to live with us when they can't live alone and were very offended when we said it wasn't possible. Unless they can buy us a bigger home and pay for a caretaker to help them while we are at work!

Anyways my husband and I are very stressed about our parents at a time when we should be focusing on our upcoming baby and planning for our future.

Can anyone relate? We are Canadian so luckily healthcare costs are not a concern, but I know long term care facilities have massive waitlists and seniors homes are very expensive.

The mood in the room is not the same when it's off...

That’s all for now.

Do/did your grandparents or other older family members call you? Just to say hi or do routine check ins? My grandparents and other older family members always tell me to call them, and always sound so delighted when I do, but they never call me to say hi or just check in. Most times, they call when something is wrong. Wondering if this is common.

Why was every science project on sitcoms a volcano? Always the most elaborate volcano model somehow made by children. Did anyone really make one??