Ageism from lens of my 13 year old self is quite the surprise . A lifelong friend recently found the poem below entitled “Growing Older”. It was included in a collection of award winning poems written by students in our middle/high school some time ago. I don’t remember writing it but the view of ageism is worthy of reflection. My training against ageism, and my career in the aging industry, make it especially ironic. My perspective has clearly evolved!
Webster’s definition of ageism is: prejudice or discrimination against a particular age-group and especially the elderly. In thinking about it, my admiration and deep love for my grandmother must have been the motivation for the harsh view of ageism in this poem. She suffered from crippling arthritis in her knees, and was forced to retire from a pioneering career as a union forewoman in the garment industry because of the disability. In my opinion, this poem is a reminder of the need to educate everyone about ageism, even at the earliest ages. 
The link below is to an earlier AgePros post about Ageism, including a Call to Action from the American Society on Aging (ASA) to support Ageism awareness. I hope my 13 year old view of ageism reinforces how important it is to continue the work. Please visit the ASA site to see how you can help: https://www.asaging.org
https://agepros.net/ageism-awareness-day-is-october-7th
Interested in being part of a thought leadership discussion on your view of ageism? Contact us at https://agepros.net.  Reported by AgePros.net, the only blog for aging industry professionals.
