Are you normal for your age?
a brief disclaimer-this was written for natives of Britain and will not be wholly applicable to people from other countries: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-li...our-age-470039
PRE-TEENS
8 The average age for getting a first mobile phone. Almost 60 per cent of secondary and 20 per cent of primary schoolchildren now own mobiles. Eight is also the age at which most kids are allowed outside the home by themselves.
10 years and three months: The average age at which girls start puberty, almost two years earlier than their grandmothers, for whom puberty began at 12.
11 Alarmingly, this is the age at which, on average, children begin experimenting with alcohol.
12 The age by which, according to a recent study, three-quarters of girls dislike some part of their body.
TEENS
14 The average age for depression to strike, a dramatic change from the 1980s when it was 30 years old. Figures show that at least 10 per cent of children experience symptoms of severe depression.
15 The age at which most Brits have their first kiss (and 77 per cent of us remember it vividly...)
16 When teens begin holidaying away from their parents.
17 years, two months and two weeks: The age at which the average Briton will lose their virginity (although Northerners start younger, having their first full sexual encounter on average six months before Londoners).
18 A busy year for women. By now, one in four of us has started dieting and 18 is when, on average, we experience our first orgasm. It's also the age at which men are reported to reach their sexual peak.
TWENTIES
20 When British students, on average, finish their education. And, for some women, time to hit the Botox. Last year Transform, the UK's biggest provider of cosmetic surgery, reported a 10 per cent increase in 20something women requesting non-surgical treatments and wrinklesmoothing Botox in particular.
24 The average age to flee the family nest (although Londoners have to wait an additional year).
27 The average age for women to have their first child.
28 By now, the average sensible Brit has started saving for a pension, according to a survey by Axa insurance. That's earlier than any other nation.
29 Brides are getting older. The typical British woman is 29 when she first ties the knot - up from 24 in 1965. Twentynine is also the average age for a man to become a father.
THIRTIES
30 Depressing but true - surveys reveal most women start to worry about wrinkles at 30, as it's now that fine lines begin to appear around the eyes and mouth. Thirty also heralds the start of the battle of the bulge. From 30 onwards, the body's metabolism slows, meaning that any excess calories consumed are more readily stored as fat.
31 The average age for a British bloke to get hitched.
32 This is considered by women to be the peak age for female beauty. It's also the average age of dating website members (online dating is now the most popular method of finding a partner in Britain, with 65 per cent of singletons turning to the net). And 32 is the average age for female sterilisation in Britain, two years younger than our European counterparts.
34 Now's when women consider men to be in their prime. It's also the average age of a first time home-buyer and, according to American research, the best age to give birth. A study by Professor John Mirowsky at the University of Texas concluded that mothers who give birth at 34 enjoy better health, live longer and end up having healthier babies than those who reproduce earlier.
35 The age at which women reach their sexual peak but also when female fertility plummets. Thirty-five is average age of women undergoing IVF treatment (one in six British couples are infertile and around 30,000 women each year turn to IVF).
It's also the average age of a typical single mum and when women's hair starts to turn grey. For men, this is also when they start to worry about losing their locks, as hereditary hair loss affects 40 per cent of men to some degree by the time they are 35.
36 The average age of urban-dwellers (compared to 42 for the rural population).
37 The average age of couples approved for adoption.
38 This is the current average age of a UK citizen.
FORTIES
40 Proof that life begins (again) at 40. This is the average age at which women divorce for the first time.
A survey by Woman & Home magazine also found that a third of all 40-plus women are the main breadwinner in their household. However, weight issues loom large around now. The average women over 40 weighs 11st 1lb, but would like to weight 9st 7lb, and three-quarters are at least two dress sizes bigger than they were in their 20s.
42 A difficult year for some. Research suggests that 42 is the age at which happiness and general life satisfaction is at its lowest.
The good news, however, is that things do get better. According to Andrew Oswald, economist at Warwick University, most of us grow happier as we get older with those in their 60s expressing the highest satisfaction levels of all. Meanwhile, 42 is also when, on average, men divorce for the first time and the average age of men now being prescribed Viagra... a coincidence, we're sure.
44 If you're a woman in business, now's the time to make your mark. The average British female company director is 44, an impressive three years younger than her male counterpart who doesn't get to the top until 47.
45 Watch out for women's troubles. Up to 100,000 women have hysterectomies each year in the UK and the average age for the operation is 45.
47 Now is when women believe their looks begin "fading fast", according to Top Sante magazine's Female Body survey.
48 According to the Royal Bank of Scotland, 48 is, on average, when homeowners finally become mortgage-free.
49 Cue the patter of tiny feet (albeit ones you can hand back), 49 is the average age to become a grandparent.
FIFTIES
50 The age by which around half the population can expect to have 50 per-cent grey hair - that's if they've any hair left. More than 40 per cent of men over the age of 50 are affected by hair loss (but only two per cent opt for some kind of treatment). Over-50s are also more likely to be unfaithful than younger couples. According to the British Sexual Fantasy Research Project, one third of over-50s have had sex with someone other than their partner.
51 This heralds the start of the menopause for the average woman. An improvement on a hundred years ago, when women could expect the hot flushes and night sweats to begin at 47.
56 There are some good things about getting old - 56 is the average age of British millionaires, around 40 per cent of whom are women.
SIXTIES
61 At last you can put your feet up, as 61 is the average age for women to retire in the UK.
62 The age at which, typically, British workers begin drawing their pensions.
63 On average, the age when British men retire.
66 This is when, according to a major study, middle age finally ends and old age begins. Researchers interviewed nearly 9,000 people, most of whom thought middle age goes on until at least the age of 63, with the wealthiest and most healthy saying it lasts until 66.
68 The average age of a hip-replacement patient.
SEVENTY-PLUS
70 The age at which today's 30- somethings can expect to retire (thanks to our growing pensions crisis).
76 Average life expectancy for British men.
86 Average life expectancy for British women.
93.4 The typical life expectancy for the 6,000 residents of the picturesque Moreton Hall housing estate on the outskirts of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk - the longest anywhere in Britain.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Gilly
BUT.....my little ones give me so much joy as well right now and as hard as life is for me right now, I get teary eyed just thinking about them growing up. 
Sounds like I'm doing pretty well for 42.
