By Donna Comer, Vital Aging Network volunteer
Once a week, I sit with a small group of high school students — eight of us gathered around a table — ready to take on whatever question their coursework throws our way. My job isn’t to give answers but to guide the conversation, helping them stretch their thinking and recognize that most issues have more than one side.
Recently, their government teacher assigned them a tough one: Create a new law—something original and as nonpartisan as possible that they would present to Congress. They had to be able to defend their bill.
One student proposed setting a maximum age for presidential candidates. “We already have a minimum age of 35,” she reasoned. “So maybe age 65 should be the maximum.”
I laughed and said, “Well, there goes my chance to be president.” She laughed too, but I could see the wheels turning behind her eyes.
When she asked for pros and cons, the group jumped in.
Pros: Younger leaders might bring more energy, fresher ideas, and a stronger grasp of rapidly changing technology.
Cons: What about the deep experience, long-view perspective, and steady hand that often come with age?
We didn’t have long, just ten minutes before the bell, but the question lingered. Her suggestion wasn’t meant to offend. It grew from what she’s seen and felt about the world she’s inheriting. Still, it reminded me how quietly our stereotypes can slip into our thinking, often without any malice at all. I wondered if I would have had the same reaction if she had suggested 75? 85? 90?
As I walked to my car afterward, I found myself smiling. We hadn’t solved anything, but something meaningful had happened in that brief exchange. A young person had questioned an assumption. And so had I.
Maybe that’s where change begins, with curiosity, a bit of humor, and the humility to remember that age alone doesn’t define what any of us can contribute.
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