“I Remember When I Was Your Age . . . ”: Productive Remembering Through Crossover Literature

When adults recollect early experiences with the refrain “I remember when I was your age”, they are often using memory to reinforce differences between themselves and a young listener: “When I was your age, I had to ski three miles to school in the dead of winter; “When I was your age, I couldn’t speak to an adult unless spoken to”; “When I was your age, I had to be home by nine o’clock sharp, and that was on the weekend!”