Ten truths about men in their 50s

It doesn’t matter how together men over 50 years old might look, because really, there are some truths about them that say otherwise.

The calls sound different

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The most difficult part of being 50 has to do with your parents. Saying that they’re simply ‘getting older’ doesn’t cover what’s going on, and that can be hard to accept. You can’t keep brushing off your parents forgetting things.

You can’t keep ignoring their medical appointments and sense of fragility. The truth is, turning 50 means that you’ll need to make a lot of difficult decisions about your parents.

A strange kind of caution

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It’s not like men in their 50s are broke or anything. Far from it. A lot of them are earning some of the best salaries they’ve had their entire lives, and they’re pretty happy about that. So what’s the issue? It’s all to do with how work stops feeling so friendly during your 50s.

You feel more replaceable than ever, and you don’t feel like you can actually begin somewhere new, either. 50 years old feels way too old to be doing anything like that. The paycheck might suggest that you’re valuable, but really, you start to lose your faith in your work.

Bills arrive from both directions

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Money problems exist at every age, and unfortunately, 50 is when they only get worse. A lot of older men are under pressure to provide for themselves, as well as their adult children and aging parents. They’ve got to help with rent and car payments, for starters.

Then it’s time to help their senior parents because they can’t afford their own medication. Turning 50 puts you right in the middle of two generations you’ve got to foot the bill for.

Plans quietly stop happening

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Friendships fade. Not because someone’s mad or anything, it’s just that the conversations start getting limited and months pass before you talk to your friends again. A lot of American men over 50 have admitted they have very few, or no, close friends at all.

A lot of older men have contacts, yes, and they might have neighbors they talk to as well. But the actual circle of people they can depend on and use for emotional support? That’s practically non-existent when you’re over 50.

Plenty of noise, fewer requests

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You don’t stop getting needed when you’re over 50. In fact, you probably get called on more because people want help with repairs and lifting heavy things. The help never ends. But that doesn’t mean you actually feel desired or even wanted.

It’s more like you’re there to help out, nothing more, nothing less. That’s one of the main reasons loneliness is such a big problem among men over 50 years old, since they never get asked how they are, just whether they can help with something.

Still him, just labeled differently

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Society acts like you’re a senior citizen as soon as you turn 50. Doesn’t matter that you might still be agile and capable, the world has decided that you’re past your prime, so you need to act like it. Sure. A lot of men in their 50s still feel like they’re in their 40s.

The only difference is that they might be slightly worse-for-wear, but it’s not like they’re incapable of doing things. Having people treat you like you’re one foot in the grave isn’t fun.

The old ladder gets weird

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Another truth is that working becomes harder in your 50s, although not for the reasons you might expect. You’re still capable, it’s just that you’re probably not the new guy or the young talent anymore. People don’t see you as a rising name to keep watching anymore.

That’s fine, but then you remember that you’re not the boss or the owner either. You’re stuck in the middle. You get some respect, yet you’re ignored, and you also get fewer chances to become the next big thing.

Useful doesn’t mean safe

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That’s not all for the working world, as a man over 50 can be useful and experienced but still feel disposable. It’s all because they’re expensive. Yes, older workers are usually harder for companies to maintain, and that means they start thinking about getting rid of them.

Some men in their 50s lose their jobs simply because they’re too old. Federal age discrimination laws do protect these workers, yes, but proving you were fired because of your age? That’s a lot harder.

Memory starts keeping score

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Nostalgia hits everyone, and that includes men over 50 years old. But what is different is the fact that they become more sentimental while being less openly emotional. Reminders of their youth are everywhere, yet they don’t feel like they can talk about it honestly.

They’re not big public criers, after all. Instead, they might say ‘Good times,’ and leave it at that, without bringing up how they’re seriously missing how things used to be.

Caught between floors

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You’re 50 years old. People call you ‘sir,’ and you get mail from AARP, along with plenty of jokes from younger people about not knowing how tech works. That’s fine. But the issue comes with not being old enough for Medicare and not old enough for Social Security.

What’s the problem? You’re senior enough to be treated as being old, but not senior enough to get a lot of the benefits. Being in your 50s means being stuck between two groups, and it’s not exactly a comfortable experience.

Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.