Do you mix with different age groups?

When I was working I certainly had lots younger friends and colleagues but right enough, these days my friends and neighbours are all my age or older. I'm not sure how I could change that situation without it seeming awkward.

I'm still working and alongside staff of varied ages, we also work closely with volunteers, many are younger i.e 18 + due to the nature of what we do.

Outside of work...I do some voluntary work for a local dog rescue and that also involves younger people.

When I volunteered for a while I met people of all ages and from different backgrounds. I do miss that now. Luckily we have a great relationship with most of our grown family and their friends. On occasion
their friends have come on their own to visit us, they are really interesting and we often stay up late having fascinating conversations.
Volunteering is a great way to meet younger people. Charity shops usually attract older people so look at volunteering in a local library/museum or homeless project, there are plenty of options.

Not since covid. My favourite group was close to shutting down but now a crowd of 40s and 50s have joined.I don't know any of them and for other health reasons probably will not rejoin.

A downside of this is that my 2 closest friends have now become carers to elderly husbands so I don't see them either.

My volunteering is in a care home!! Not likely to meet youthful friends there. However, the company is great. I'm their young friend.

Its really on the golf course with me I have played with 80 year olds and 14 year old boys and girls = had a lovely time. Other than that no its us oldies at U3A and whatever time I can glean from younger family mebers.

Yes in our local pub, it’s a good community place and we visit at least three times a week, quiz night, teams are all ages from their 20’s and upwards, meat draw - all ages, a Friday night catch up and for various events held there. My children grew up in this village so I know school friends of theirs, mid 30 year olds up to people older than us in their late 70’s.

No problem mixing with any age group but teens can be difficult, they vary so much in their confidence and communication, some you can have a normal conversation at 14, others still communicate in grunts at 19 and older.

I like to have conversations with my adult children and grandchildren. I also mixed with much younger people when I was working. It's good for me as they have a different perspective on life than my older friends and make me think about things instead of viewing them in the same way as always.

Yes, have a few friends around 10/15 years younger, most are around my age.

Our family ranges in age from 6 to 94 so we do mix with lots of different age groups.

When I volunteer, I mix with people of all ages, staff, fellow volunteers, people living with dementia and their carers.

I go to a choir which has people of all ages.

Our neighbours vary in age from 40 up to mid 80s and I am in contact with a few of the friends of my children - I don't think they are humouring me when they send chatty and, sometimes, quite silly messages.

I would hate not to have the breadth of contacts that I do.

Yes, in volunteering, and also in friendship groups. I'm sometimes the oldie - with one close friend I'm the same age as her mum.
However, I take your point that it's hard to meet a wider age range in retirement: very few mums speak to me at the school gate when I pick up the grandchildren.

Always have. I have found that some, not too many, young people are not so comfortable with us older people. Just marginally and I do get it as I remember being young.

At work we were a mixed bunch but since retiring my friends are my age or older. I’ve just realised that someone I looked on as a friend looks on me as someone who needs support. I’m 70 and don’t need support! I see a lot of my daughter and granddaughter so get a different perspective from them.

I have friends ten years younger, one who is a good twenty years younger, and others who are ten years older than I. On a regular basis I speak to a couple of teens who aren’t related to me and although I’m not doing my voluntary work at the moment I used to interact with young people there.

We have a good few young neighbours who chat when we meet them out with children or dogs.

I host volunteers from all over the world. This means there are often young people around who bring a great energy.

My own volunteering job is at a community store so there are all ages from newborns to 90 plus.

My close friends range from 10yrs older to 20yrs younger than me.

I must be lucky because unless I spend too long with the U3A groups who can be a little cliquey, there are all ages.

And last but not least, I see my DC and DGC so all ages. I am the old one with them.

I am very lucky as my GD who is 25 lives with me and her friends are great, include me in their doings.
I am also good friends with two of their mums, both in their late 50’s and we see quite a bit of them.
They visit me and I visit them.
We also do meals out occasionally, it is lovely.
I appreciate it so much.

That's what I miss from being at work - mixing with all age groups from their 20s to their 70s. Nowadays, apart from a few neighbours that I might pass the time of day with occasionally who are various ages from 30s to 80s, I tend to see family - GC, brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces and their children.

My world has shrunk!

Several of my friends are from university - they were all 19 or 20 when we met, I was in my early thirties, so that’s a bit of a mix. Three or four friends are my age, and I have some acquaintances in their 30s and 40s, and am close to both my daughters-in-law, one 40, one 45. I spend one-to-one and group time with my teenage grandchildren too, which is nice.

What I don’t have are any friends who are older than me; I’m not sure why not. I suppose I don’t really go to places where I’d meet older (than me) people.

I'm still working and I do meet and mix with a variety of ages and demographics. My preferred age group is around the 50 mark as they are old enough to share humour and aspects of popular culture with and still immersed in the vibrancy of life but understand ageing to a degree (if that makes sense).

I lunch out regularly with various groups and individuals. Most of them are a good twenty years younger than me except for my cousins who are nearer my age. GC keep me amused and informed on current goings on and fashions amongst their pals. Madness in an amusing way. My sons and partners are thirty years younger and we jog along nicely. Think I must be very fortunate but never really thought about it until now.

I’ve got a real mix of friends , I’m 66, got some my age , one in her 80’s some50’s some 40’s and youngest friend 23
I’m friends with a person not an age group by the look of it!

I volunteer at the local museum, where the other volunteers are retired too, but they employed staff range from their 20s to retirement age.

I also have neighbours who are young parents, some nearer my own age and some older than I.