How well do you remember what it was like to be young?

So for me, the young I’m referring to is teens and early twenties. For me, it was the time of the most turmoil and difficulties finding jobs and love and apartments and getting through school and all that. It was a time of great change.

I feel like all my life I’ve not wanted to forget the time because there was so much change and I didn’t want to become one of those old fogies who didn’t seem to understand. So even though the specifics are largely gone, I still remember the feeling and the energy and fear and excitement that drove me.

I have tried to cultivate a sympathy for young people by not forgetting. I think that a lot of older people have trouble relating to young people because they forgot. They don’t remember why they were rebellious or tried new things. They don’t remember why their parent’s instructions seemed so irrelevant.

I want my advice about youth to come from those memories. Maybe other people think it isn’t necessary. Maybe people think we should use our experience to tell young people what to do, and they should just listen to us because we’re older and more experienced.

Where does your advice come from? Do you find yourself just telling people what you think is right or wrong? Do you ever try to show people that you remember what it was like to be in their shoes? Is that necessary? Or does it hurt your chances of being taken seriously?