Aging is inevitable. And with it, comes a series of struggles that will put your strength, determination, and even faith in humanity to the test. Indeed, as we grow older, the more we realize that life isn’t always rainbows and butterflies. But as the famous saying goes, “Don’t let life harden your heart.” So, it’s truly admirable to see old people who manage to maintain their hearts of gold despite all the difficulties that life has thrown at them.
The subreddit r/AdorableOldPeople celebrates elderlies who are unknowingly making the world a better place by just being their wholesome selves. From sending everyday selfies to their grandkids to greeting them through security cameras and more, people are sharing how their elderly loved ones express love in their unique ways. Keep scrolling down to see some of the most heartwarming posts from the forum!
A Rescue to Remember
“Since you all love my Uncle David so much, here he is with his husband, my other Uncle David, who makes an amazing butterscotch raspberry pudding.”
“This is so cute. A selfie stick review.”
“Cosplay just isn’t for the young…”
“Grandfather with vitiligo crochets dolls to make children with this condition feel better.”
“So cute”
“Obama told this 90-year old veteran he didn’t have to stand. He said, ‘No Sir, you’re the President.'”
“My professor is 74 and he isn’t confident using Zoom, so he’s prerecorded the rest of our classes. Today, I watched the first one. He has a Pinocchio doll in the front row because he isn’t comfortable teaching to an empty room. I’m social distancing for this man and this man only.”
The subreddit r/AdorableOldPeople features heartwarming photos of old people being their wholesome selves
Although the page certainly means well, we have to point out a slight flaw in its name. Apparently, “adorable” might not be the best word to describe the elderly. According to philosophy teacher Randall Horton, doing so is tantamount to infantilizing elderly people. The same goes for using the adjectives “precious,” “charming,” or “sweet” to refer to them.
“My parents sent me this from their retirement community today”
Maureen the Legend
“This is my 96-year-old Grandma, Willie. She survived the Great Depression, being hit by a fire truck and being in a coma, and losing her husband at a young age. Now she drinks liquor and smokes cigars, still lives alone, and hits on younger men. I love her with everything I’ve got.”
“I lost my Dad at Walmart and ended up finding him in the garden section watering plants”
“Met this sweet man at Outback. He saw us at prom and showed us a picture of him and wife at prom in 1949”
“This couple re-creating their marriage photo 70 years later”
“Elderly YouTuber writes his subscribers down in a notebook, then thanks them individually”
“My grandpa’s 88th birthday was a few weeks ago. My sister got him a coloring book and crayons. He says he’s never colored before, but he seems to enjoy it. He shows all his visitors the pages he’s finished. He’s colorblind, so some of the puppies are pink, but he’s so happy. He melts my heart.”
Although the forum’s intentions are good, experts advise against referring to old people as “adorable”
Some people refer to this tendency as “elderspeak,” or treating seniors more like children rather than fully capable adults. This commonly manifests in the way we communicate with them by slowing down our speech rate and speaking more loudly. Unfortunately, assuming that adults experience “second childhood” upon reaching a certain age can lead to more serious problems over time.
“93-year-old grandma and her grandson recreating UP”
“My neighbor almost had my mom worried for his safety”
“Milly Girl. I love ya.”
“She picked a good name anyways”
“I live abroad. My grandparents called me to urgently check the security web cams of my house back home. Turns out they called so I could see them standing with a heart and waving at me.”
“Grandpa brings dog to furniture store to make sure she likes chair too”
A 76-year-old retired Air Force colonel is no match for his 4-year-old granddaughter
“Dad went out in the snow to feed the birds, and made a new friend! It’s official, he’s a Disney Princess now.”
For starters, experts have found that elderlies who experience elderspeak may gradually develop lower self-esteem. Likewise, this reduces their ability to perform tasks and decreases their level of cooperation with their caregivers. But that’s not all. Even health care providers fall into the trap of this misconception, thinking that elderly patients become less sexually active and thus leading them to ignore their sexual health. In turn, this makes older adults a particularly vulnerable population when it comes to sexually transmitted infections.
“An old man taking pictures of his wife without her realizing”
Apparently, using words like “precious,” “charming,” or “sweet” is not the most appropriate to describe our elderlies
“My mom is almost in her 60’s and started her weight loss journey around this time last year! 85 pounds down!! It’s never too late to change your life!
“When you can’t march in protest, you scoot in protest.”
“My 97-year-old grandma doesn’t use computers, but I found a meme years ago that I thought she’d like so I sent it in the mail. Turns out she’s kept it at her bedside ever since.”
“My Grandpa Mac, 92 years old, just got new security cameras around his house. He has my cousin, Aaron, and I on the online login (he’s not too computer savvy) so we can see what’s going on. He sends us random messages through the cameras…”
“My dad thought he was taking a picture of my kids and accidentally had it on front facing. It fills me with joy that this is what his face looks like when he’s watching my kids. He’s a great dad”
“Doris absolutely destroyed me in Words With Friends”
“‘Pink Hat Guy’ Jim Anixter has owned Cubs tickets since 1967, says he wears hat so wife of 46 years knows he’s at the game & not cheating”
Because doing so is tantamount to “infantilizing” them or treating them more like children than like fully functioning individuals
So, Horton calls on the younger generations to stop infantilizing older adults. Because even at their age, they’re still capable of doing the things that they used to do. Sure, some abilities may diminish over time. But this doesn’t mean that they instantly forget everything they’ve learned in their lifetime.
“I realize we all suffer some cognitive decline as we age and some are affected by diseases that accelerate or accentuate that decline, but young people also suffer brain injury, disease, and other limitations on cognitive ability. Age is not a sufficient reason to believe someone is stupid.”
“They dated in their teens, married different people, and got back together 65 years later. My grandma and her boyfriend.”
“Grandpa humor is my all-time favorite.”
“My grandad being all giggly when he was chatting about his childhood and all the mischief he got up to behind his mother’s back!!!”
“Happy Pride Month, everyone!”
“My mom died of covid June 8th. I found this her writing on the back page of this blank book I gave her years ago.”
“My mom got to visit Snow White – her favorite princess since she was a little girl. My mom retired Friday and this was her first trip to Disney ever.”
“Did a Christmas scavenger hunt. This is what my grandpa sent for 3 wise men.”
“I love my Grandpa so much.”
So, in this post, we’ll celebrate them for simply being good people. After all, having a kind soul is worth honoring, regardless of age
Referring to older adults as “adorable” certainly doesn’t equate to calling them “stupid” Even so, it may not be the most appropriate way to describe them. So, in this post, we’ll see them as kind-hearted people who are making the world a better place, and celebrate them for that.
“Sent a picture of a Final Fantasy 7 character to my mum thinking she looked like her, she recreated the look and pretty much nailed it”
“My Nana is bored so she’s keeping me fresh during the quarantine”
“I told my grandma she looked cute today and she said she wanted to match her favorite chair lol”
“My 92-year-old grandpa holding my parrot for the first time. He insisted that I take a photo of him so he could print it out to show his friends.
“My grandma sends me these every day. She is the purest thing on the earth and we have to protect her at all costs.”
“This is my 85-year-old physics teacher, him and his wife just had a lightsaber fight”
“My grandpa has Alzheimer’s and can’t always remember his grandkids’ names, so we custom-made a shirt that has all our names and it’s his new favorite shirt.”
“This is a selfie my dad sent me”
Bob the Wise
My grandma’s 94 last week. She has dementia and is bedridden but she still has her good spirits. She loves this teddy bear my cousin gave her. So if me and my mom are feeding her and she starts to fiddle, she holds onto it. Love her so much.
