Why do a lot of 20- and 30-somethings tend to treat older adults like children? Or puppy dogs? It's so disconcerting to go to the hairdresser or doctor's office or a store and have some young Pop-Tart call you sweetie or honey or dear. I'm not in my dotage. I'm not incapacitated, mentally or physically. I'm not in in need of any type of assistance. I can walk and talk at the same time. I have offered no hint whatsoever that I am impaired in any way.
So, why do they persist in speaking in such a condescending manner to people a few decades older than they? Talking down to people is patronizing and, frankly, insulting. I am not their child, or their pet. It's too bad they're not my child. I'd yank out their earbuds, smack their hands, and send them to time out.
I will grant you that some older people can try one's patience. We all know them. They're the ones who are judgmental about the way anyone 50 years younger than them looks. The ones who'll ask impertinent questions of total strangers. The ones who'll tell you in a New York minute that your hair is too long or your skirt is too short. The ones who lament frequently that this, that, or the other simply "was not done in my day." It's annoying. Still, they're our elders. They know stuff. They've already experienced what we have yet to experience. Respect them. Call them by their surname with the appropriate Ms., Mrs., or Mr., or their first name if given permission to do so. Not ... honey, sweetie, or dear.
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