I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE... WEW

So I joined a group about 2 months ago for anyone 25-40 to get out and do activities together. I was a bit skeptic but felt so much better today after I read what the rules are for being able to participate. The fact that other women feel the same way I do about older single activities and the older guys that come made me feel a bit more normal in my quest to get out more often. My thoughts are voiced by Rodney who set up the group. Enjoy Rodney's words and the fact that I totally agree!

"First of all let me say thank you for joining the Get Out! group. It’s been great to see the group grow over the last few weeks.

I’ve been told I can be long-winded. So for those of you who want nothing but the cold, hard facts you can read #1 and skip the rest. ;-)

1. I WILL CHECK IDs at EVERY ACTIVITY! A few have ignored the age limit for the group, so everyone needs to bring ID to the activities. If you are over the age limit of 40 (42 if you have friends in the group) you will not get in, period!

The reason I started this group was to cater to those of us who aren’t part of the YSA crowd nor feel comfortable at midsingles activities because there is too much age diversity, with people from 31-70. We feel like the babies in the crowd, especially with people old enough to be our parents present.

The decision to cap the age at 40 came after much consideration and discussion with friends. We all have very good friends whom we knew would be excluded because they are over the age of 40. The age cap is not intended to offend anyone. It is intended to make sure there is at least a common age range, and thus similar experiences and circumstances in life.

Most girls are too kind to say this to guys; so I’ll say it for them. A unanimous input I heard from every girl I talked with was the complaint about being hit on by much older men, some old enough to be their fathers. There are many who attend family wards, just as I did, because of the huge age diversity in midsingles wards. Girls get stalked by older men and so they choose to stay in a family ward. I realized I could sit at home and complain about the lack of fun activities that cater specifically to those in my age group and circumstance, or I could do something about it. I chose to do something about it. The Get Out! group is the result.

Many said they won’t come if there isn’t an age cap. I made this group specifically for that reason. Some have taken offense and become angry with me because of the age cap. It’s something I can live with, you can blame me, I made the decision. The benefits of getting those of us in this age range out socializing and developing new friendships is something I felt needed to happen.

I tried to be direct, but diplomatic about the age cap when I wrote the group rules. However, seeing people up to 60 years old join, I realize some are going to ignore the rule and hope it isn’t enforced. I’m going to put it very bluntly now, so there is no misunderstanding or confusion. Age is a determining factor in many things in life, get over it! The church has age caps: you can be in Primary only until you’re 11; 18 is the cap to be in young men/women programs, YSA wards are 18-30, midsingles wards 31-45. Many other minimum and maximum age requirements exist in life: the Boy and Girl Scouts have age caps; you must be 18 to vote, 30 to be a senator, 35 to be president; to get senior discounts you must be 50+. To be part of the Get Out! group you must be 25-40—it is not a suggestion!

The line had to be drawn somewhere. I realize some are just older than 40. The one compromise I will make is: If you have friends in the group, you will be allowed into the activities if you are a max of 42 years old. If I make any more exceptions it will break down and become the same kind of 31+ crowd that has kept so many of us from being part of other activities and conferences. I promised many I would enforce the age cap in order to get them to come out and give this group a try, and I will keep that promise.

As I said, many of us have great friends over 40. This is not intended to ostracize or offend anyone, but rather an attempt to socially involve and activate a group that lacks opportunities to have fun and meet others in our age range. I hope you can recognize and respect what I’ve tried to create for those of us in the 25-40 age group. If you feel you are part of an underserved age group, I encourage you to start your own group.

Thank you for your time and understanding on this matter.

Sincerely,

Rodney S. Rex"