I once saw a 15-year-old in a piercing studio. I knew she was at most 15 because they didn’t pierce under 16. I would have guessed that she was older than me.

OG and GN: Exactly.

L: There’s really no good kind of being drunk and talking to 14 year old girls at a bowling alley, honestly. But I really appreciate you being on my side!

Also L: I was actually wondering how this story would strike you. From what I heard when I was in Europe, teenagers aren’t viewed as children as much as they are in America. I mean, I was totally weirded out by the 18 year old in Vienna that was hitting on me just a few months ago when I was 25, but apparently that’s not so much a ridiculous age gap over there.

When I was in the States I shared the house with a (pretty rich) 60 year old lady. She said several times that she’d never share her house with American students our age (21). For her, it was an important point that we were foreigners, because apparently, she believes them to act more grown-up at the same age. (I can’t really judge because all people I met there were 25 and above)

I guess it also has to do with the different attitude/laws towards alcohol and sex. Like in Germany, you can get totally shit-faced on beer as a 16 year old - and that’s perfectly legal. In France, the legal drinking age for all kinds of alcohol is 16, and I think in Austria, too. You just get to do certain things earlier, because they are not viewed as THE DEVIL itself (which was my impression in the States).

So imagine how totally weirded out I was when I had to show my passport all the time in the States to get alcohol or get into bars. (Apparently, I do look like my age)

Where did you go, apart from Vienna?

“Are you at least in high school? Because that makes it less bad.”

Which, by the way, is 100% false. That’s like a monumental error in judgement. There’s no better version of this, like I said above.

They were in high school, though. So my next thought is:

They didn’t drive here. A parent did. I’m about to get my ass kicked by a huge dad. Oh no! Self preservation kicks in:

“Oh no, are your parents here?”

Holy hell, now that I think about that, you could take that question another way entirely. But I swear, I was scared to death about getting smacked around by a dad with a gun rack in his truck. Fortunately for my ability to have teeth, the answer was no.

Eventually I DID walk away. But after that, every time I went up to bowl, I had (a) all of my friends and (b) two ridiculous girls making fun of me. It was kind of humiliating.

PS - I love drunken bowling… I actually get better by the pitcher… well, until about 3… then it’s all downhill from there

(sorry. getting back at her for leaving a comment like that on my blog. she’s not a lightweight or a lush or anything like that.)

ahem.

dude. that’s sick and wrong.

but i can’t give you a hard time about it–lots of these girls now dress MUCH older than their age. at least you asked.

Speaking of which, I have another question about the age-old “how old are you?” question. I belong to a blog site where people have a shoutbox to leave comments. I’ve noticed a lot of teenage girls and boys frequent the site. I am much older, but because I’m there for an interest in a subject matter (comics, gaming) that usually younger people are more attracted to, I find myself annoyed at questions like “How old are you?” I don’t feel like giving my true age because I’m there to talk about the subject matter, not about my personal life. I could answer, “Old enough to own a home, be your parent, have a job, etc. … ” “instead of talking about my latest crush and the last time I went to the mall.”

I don’t know a good answer to that question. I’m not there for a contest in how many comments one can leave in a shoutbox. I find these teenagers want to be friends and they don’t even know who they are becoming friends with. It’s a competition for how many friends one can acquire and how many shoutbox comments one can acquire. Older people don’t ask “How old are you?’ But teens do. And I don’t want to have a conversation in which I have to answer the question, “How ru??”

I don’t want to be dishonest, but I think it’s a nosy question, something a teenage girl wouldn’t understand. What is the best answer? “None of your business.” “I really don’t feel like answering that question.” Or, “Older than you.” I could post my real age, to drive away those whom I would rather leave me the hell alone, but then it takes away the anonymity and the fun of being on a website without people knowing my age. I’m there to discuss G-rated material, a mutual interest/hobby, not get into the personal details of anyone’s life.

So, not to hijack your thread, but I’m curious, what is your thought on how to respond to a teenaged girl asking an older woman how old she is? When that older woman herself is sensitive about her age? This has been bugging me.

And for your situation, I’d card them next time!