We all assume that people mature as they age, but that isn’t always the case. We’ve all met 50 and 60-year-olds who behave as if they’re still in junior high and don’t mature beyond that when they reach their 70s and 80s. Getting older helps many people let go of hang-ups they had in their 20s and 30s (For example, nobody thinks of you as much as you think about yourself), but it doesn’t mean old people are fully mature and able to have healthy relationships. Advanced age does not automatically entitle someone to your respect. Old people can be jealous, hateful, and unwilling to change as anybody. If anything, it’s harder to make radical changes to your worldview and behavior once you’re reaching retirement age. You’ve already started over so many times in life; each time you begin again, you have less and less kindness and flexibility to give.