How “Act Your Age” and “Age Is Nothing but a Number” Are Both Right

Or, why I can't wait to grow up and be deviant

We’ve all heard the phrases “act your age” and “age is nothing but a number.”

One tells us to pay attention to the chronology of our lives and behave accordingly. The other tells us… don’t. They contradict each other.

These adages aren’t meant to be scrutinized scientifically, of course. They’re bits of folk wisdom that, by and large, are quite useful. Ki…