Prematurely Aging Dad

I recently came to this conclusion after the physical evidence started piling up.

A t 35-years-old I am a prematurely aging dad and I can’t stop. I recently came to this conclusion after the physical evidence started piling up. It all started while cuddled up on the couch with my 6-year-old son Tyler. "Daddy, why do you have so much hair in your nose?" I had no idea, so all I could tell him was "Umm. Hair grows in all sorts of places when you get big." I’ve had nose hair for several years, no big deal. I’ve got a trimmer that does a nice job of keeping my nose from looking like an exploded party favor. I’m sure all guys my age trim their nose hairs weekly.

Tyler’s follow up question is where things started to turn for the worse. "What about all the hair coming out of your ears?" Seriously? I had no idea I had ANY hair coming out of my ears let alone enough to be described as ALL. Now that is an official "you’re getting old" sign. I was so shocked that I don’t think I replied at all. I got up, ran to the bathroom and started examining my ears. Sure enough, I had some ear hair but it hadn’t reached Andy Rooney or Ewok level yet. I mean, I work in television. Someone would tell me if my ear air was out of control, right? Again, I let the trimmer get rid of some of the hair while tweezers got what was tough to tame.

I’m able to push my hair issues aside until a few weeks later. I’m getting a haircut and as my stylist is finishing up I feel the electric trimmers buzz my ears. "Just cleaning up a little bit of hair on your ears," she says. Someone other than my kid is calling it out. I crack a joke about my kids and the stress of 20 hours of live TV a week making me feel old. She mentions that I’ve got a few white hairs upfront too. It’s official.

I’m old!

Why does no one warn you that these changes happen so soon? If you are in your 40s or 50s I’m sure you are shaking your head and thinking I don’t know the half of "getting old." If a bunch of crazy stuff is going to happen when I hit those next milestones, I’d appreciate a heads up. I called a friend of mine who is a bit older than me and he was able to make me feel better in seconds. He told me, "You have a full head of hair. Perfect hair. TV hair!" He was right. I do have perfect TV hair. Now I won’t have to go into an early midlife crisis.

All kidding aside, I have realized that while I have lots of hair where it isn’t wanted or needed, I also have it where it counts. More importantly, this Ewok is still having fun in his 30s — fun with my wife, my kids, my friends and coworkers. My Friday nights may not be as exciting as they once were now that I’m a dad. These days staying awake long enough to watch "Shark Tank" is an accomplishment. I’m a 35-year-old prematurely aging dad and that’s OK.