Elderly

Between afternoon and evening classes I sit in the cafeteria of my university college and study, read or just hang out with other students (yes I am acquiring some student friends).  This week I was sitting with a group of students; it was a mash of people that I had been in class with and friends of these students.  So to clarify at this table there were students that I knew and a couple that I had just met.  To further your understanding of my conversation demographic, we were all female.
Myself and another student are mothers and over 35 and two students are under 25 and not mothers.  I hope you are getting the picture of my gathering on this particular evening.
We were all studying independently, but taking breaks now and then to discuss something thought provoking in our readings or just to reflect on a class that we had all taken.  The conversation looked something like this:
N: Is anyone else studing Chapter 5 for Tuesdays midterm?
R: No, I haven't gotten there yet
H: I took that class last semester, don't worry the tests aren't that bad.

As you can see just regular stuff.  UNTIL

H: I am reading this article on ______________ and I am just wondering what the elderly students think about it?

Long pause as I look around the table, does she know elderly students?  Is she talking about people in her class? And as I look at "H" she is looking directly at me and "N."

Me: You would NOT be suggesting that we are elderly?
H: (laughing) well you are a lot older than me
N: Wait a minute, how old do you think that we are? Wait, don't answer that. Neither one of us (pointing to me) have hit the big four-o yet.
H: four-o?
Me: oh my, this is going from bad to worse.  Let me rephrase this for "N," how old are you "H"?
H: I am going to be 22
Me: hmmmmm, maybe I am elderly. (laughing)
N: NO, I am nowhere near to elderly, I still get carded at the liquor store, I do not feel old.
Me: I don't get carded at the liquor store and the fact of the matter is my son is only 10 years younger than "H" and I am 13 years older than her.
H: YOUR SON IS 12!!
Me:  Don't you have something to study.

When I relayed this conversation to my husband after school, he tried to comfort me by telling me that this young woman must have meant that my high level of intelligence made her think I was well beyond my years.
Actually I remember being 22 and I believed that 35 was old.  At 35 you realize that at 22 the ability to see the falsehood in this belief is a wisdom that is better acquired with age.
The conversation ended like this:
H:  I didn't mean for it to be an insult
Me:  I am sure that is what the 22 year old will say to you one day too.