My boss told me himself that I probably have impostor syndrome. Ever since then, I lose sleep wondering how much he regrets saying that. By now, he surely realises that I actually am an impostor, but our labour laws are too good and he can't fire me.
I find it even better when you think about the oxygen instead of the food, since babies become able to breathe on their own entirely without parental intervention.
TL:DR Maladaptive behavior that is however ultimately harmless since I don't bother people.
I was a "gifted child"; was always like 2 school years ahead, started uni at 15 and every single person I met would praise me for being the youngest. I was immature so it got to my head. I also have always looked much younger than I am, which also invites comments. Finally, I also have AuDHD and I'm constantly anxious about not acting my age and being too immature. So I try to look at other people's ages to guide me in how I'm supposed to behave.
All of this is maladaptive and I've gotten a lot better with time, and I'm still working on it, but I'm not particularly bothered about the actual fact of having an interest in people's ages. I make sure I don't ask them about it or bother them about it, but many just offer this information on their own.
It's probably normal to forget. I am probably the odd one in that I'm always very aware of my age and I'm almost 40. I'm also acutely aware of the ages of people around me, and (very mildly) uncomfortable if I don't know someone's age.
Yeah I agree that it applies to all languages. I mean mostly that while it's easy to get away with just English in places like Sweden, it's not an equivalent experience. I really appreciate being able to communicate in Swedish here.
But yes, while my native language is Spanish, there are many things I can express better in English, and even Swedish. For example I learned a lot about myself emotionally and socially at the same time I was learning English as a teenager, and I struggle communicating these things in Spanish. I also only got proper therapy in Sweden and as a result, I express many aspects of my mental struggles best in Swedish.
I get it. I have only succeeded at learning languages I've been sort of forced to learn, even when I've also genuinely wanted to learn them.
I wanted to study an undergraduate degree that is only given in Swedish, so I went to school specifically to learn Swedish before that.
I work with programming so I'd get away only with English but somehow I've managed to reach a point where people mostly speak to me in Swedish, even though I don't look Scandinavian. I have a coworker that keeps talking to me in English and I reply to him in Swedish and sometimes it takes him a while to notice we're speaking different languages.
It does require a sustained effort and I slip when I'm lazy or tired. Also, having to use a language that doesn't let me project the best of me can be challenging as an adult.
Which ants? All ants?