From the womb to white hairs: The different ages of our life

Each age we go through contributes to our development as a whole. — Freepik

I recently read that because human beings are living longer, old age should be reclassified. But how do we define the different ages of human beings anyway?

Many scholars argue over this, but generally, the below are our age periods.

Let’s start from infancy:

> Prenatal

This period happens from the moment you are conceived as an embryo right up to your birth.

It involves rapid development and growth as your cells divide and organs form.

This occurs inside your mother’s womb.

> Early infancy (newborn)

This period occurs right after you are born up to about three months of life.

There is plenty of development and growth occurring during this time too, although not as much as when you were in the womb.

In these first three months, you will develop your movement (motor) skills.

Your neck will grow stronger to support your head.

You will be able to grab things.

You will develop different responses to different sounds.

You will be able to see and follow an object.

You may start to coo and test out making other sounds.

> Young infant

Some people do not make the distinction between early and young infancy.

But basically, you are a young infant up until six months of age.

Young infants develop their language, vision, hearing and motor skills even further.

> Mobile infant

This happens when you are between six to nine months of age.

You begin to sit up, crawl and attempt to stand – that’s why you are called mobile!

You start babbling and exploring everything you can get your hands on.

> Older infant

This is between nine to 12 months of age.

You can start to walk with support.

You may start saying your first few words.

At what age do you consider toddlerhood then?

Toddlers are between the ages of one to three years.

Here, you walk and start running.

You can climb everything, including stairs and furniture.

You can use a spoon and drink from a cup.

Your vocabulary starts expanding from simple to more complex words.

You start developing your social skills and emotions. You can throw a lot of tantrums!

You start to play, at first with yourself (solitary play), then with other children.

Even your playing develops in stages.

From solitary play, you go on to become a spectator, watching other children play.

Then you develop parallel play, which means playing alongside another toddler or child, but not playing with them.

At three years old, you start doing associate play, which means playing with other children, but without needing much cooperation.

I guess after toddlers, we dive straight into childhood, right?

Even childhood can be divided into several stages.

Early childhood is between ages three to eight years.

At age four, you start to ask more questions, including “What, why, how?”

You write with a pencil and you develop motor skills to draw.

You can solve simple maths and other problems.

You learn about friendship and cooperation with others, leading to more complex play.

You have social interactions.

You can run and jump and climb trees.

You have long conversations.

You begin to develop your conscience.

Some people define early childhood as pre-school (three to five years old) and school (five to 12 years old).

Middle childhood is nine to 12 years of age.

There is significant cognitive development during this time, as well as language acquisition.

You become more independent.

Middle childhood is sometimes known as late childhood.

So, adolescence comes after childhood, yes? But what is considered an adult?

You are right. Adolescence is from ages 13 to 18. We had a column about that.

Medically, an adult is someone aged 18 and above.

There is the young adult whose age ranges from 18 to 39.

Yes, at 39, you are still characterised medically as a young adult!

You are at your physical peak. All your muscles, senses and reflexes are working at their best.

Some scientists have coined the term “emerging adulthood” to denote the period between 18 and 29.

There are five characteristics to be seen in emerging adults:

• Exploring your identity – figuring out who you are and what you want out of life.
• Instability – as this is an age of transitioning from being a student to working, from dependence to independence; even your romantic relationships may be unstable.
• Self-focus – acquiring more knowledge and skills
• Feeling in-between
• Feeling that there are many possible futures.

Middle age is considered from age 40 to 59.

Then there’s the debate on when “old” age really begins.

So, when does old age begin?

Generally, most people and countries classify old age as above 65 years.

However, there is young-old (65 to 74), middle-old (75 to 84) and old-old (above 85).

But because life expectancy worldwide has increased, people “feel” that old age begins later.

Thanks to exercise, better health awareness and better diets, people’s biological age may be younger than their actual chronological age.

Dr YLM graduated as a medical doctor, and has been writing for many years on various subjects such as medicine, health, computers and entertainment. For further information, email [e-mail]. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only, and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information. The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.