If you’ve been blessed/cursed with young genes, you know what I’m talking about. The number of times I’ve been mistaken as a child is amazing. I thought I’d share some of the highlights. Special mention to the number of times my sister (four years older) and I have been mistaken as twins.

1. When I was first hired at Target, one coworker came up to me and said, “If I didn’t know that Target doesn’t hire anyone under 16, I would have thought you were 12.”
2. My parents and I went to a restaurant for the first time since everything had shut down. We walked in and the host looked at us and said, “One children’s menu?” I did order milk just to drive home the point.
3. I went out to dinner with a friend and ordered mac and cheese. Turns out, it was kid’s eat free day and they gave me my dinner for free.
4. My parents and I went to a covid testing site. The person filling out the information for everyone was asking adults for their ID’s. She looked at me in the backseat of the car and asked my dad for my information instead.
5. During my senior year in high school, I was voted most likely to be mistaken as a freshman. I posed for the picture for the yearbook inside my locker. And yes, I can still fit in the locker today.
6. I went to a concert in undergrad with a friend. People working there started allowing kids into the VIP section in the very front of the crowd. My friend yelled that she was with a child, and they let us in.
7. My first time flying alone was coming home from my first semester of undergrad. My seat was the emergency exit seat. The flight attendant said she would have to move me because I was under 16.
8. One time when going to vote with my dad, the poll workers checked him in and gave him his ballot, and then moved on to the people behind us. Guess I don’t need to vote.
9. I still get carded for R rated movies, unless my friend, who is younger than me, comes along.
10. A couple of years ago, I went to get blood drawn. The person doing so asked me how high school was going.

There have been plenty of other instances. These are just some that come to mind. I’m sure this will be a good thing one day. Maybe when I’m 40 and still getting carded. Until then, I’m still a child.

Shoutout to Max who specifically asked for this post.