While snowed in during a New England blizzard in our college dorms one day, my friends and I decided to take an online quiz that promised to tell us what our "old lady" name would be. As we each took the quiz, one by one we each received the same result: Henrietta.
Whether this was fate or the only answer the quiz was designed to give, we’ll never know. But instantly, one of the best inside jokes was formed. Whenever any of us exhibited a stereotypical “old lady” trait, we’d be a Henrietta. Henrietta was our 20-something grandma persona and we loved it.
Us 20-something grandmas, we know who we are. It’s our way of life. We aren’t even typically aware that we have “grandma-like” tendencies until someone points out that we’re leaving a party extremely early or finds out that we knit or crochet.
Yes, I crochet. I am 24 years old and I have been crocheting since I was 16. But crocheting doesn’t have to mean making mittens or the repetitive granny square. I made blankets that I brought to college, scarfs and stuffed animals that I gave to my friends and advisors as presents, and pillows that I use to furnish my current apartment in graduate school.
For me, crocheting is just as much about the process as it is the end product. It gives me something to do with my hands while I'm watching TV and learning new, challenging patterns is very rewarding.
In the typical older person fashion, I am a morning person. I typically wake up in between 5:00 and 6:00 am most days unless it’s the weekend and I can sleep until 8:00 am (I know, shocking, right?). Because of my sleep schedule, I tend to eat early most of my meals earlier than most people in their 20s.
In college, our small friend group had 4:30 pm suppers in what was affectionately termed the “anti-social” social room, a smaller room that acted as an extension of the main dining hall. We loved to eat here because the main dining hall was too crowded and too loud. But this antisocial room became the setting for some of the best friendships I've ever made. At parties, we'd sit at the edge of the crowd sharing a plate of mozzarella sticks instead of moving on the dance floor.
I had found my people, my fellow Henrietta.
Being a 20-something grandma can often be synonymous with being introverted, which is probably somewhat the case for me, but it's also who I'm most comfortable being. Additionally, many "old lady" activities, such as drinking tea, baking, reading a book instead of socializing with other people, are also amazing forms of self-care, a way to recharge at the end of the day.
I do exhibit many of these qualities. I love to bake and I am constantly cold. I keep my apartment at a nice, toasty 75 degrees and I own more purple fuzzy blankets than I care to admit. I even once spent finals week crocheting as I studied for my organic chemistry final.
Yes, I do like to go out, but the best weekends I’ve spent were having friends over, watching a movie, and being back in bed by 11:00 pm.
I am a 20-something grandma, that is who I am, and I love it. So, no, I don't need to take an online quiz to find out if I'm a 20-something grandma. But I did need to take one to find out what my 20-something grandma name would be.
