Brody and me: Gay men and the culture of youth

Having a son has its benefits...having a gay son is even better. When we're out together, he can help seal the deal. A gay father and son is a great conversation starter with strangers. He's fun, energetic- and he pushes me to have fun too.

But having a child does have its drawbacks. He's a timepiece. Brody's 23. Most people do the math and realize I'm in my upper 40's- zeroing in on 50. There's no hedging.

And in this gay world, that doesn't play. Look at all the gay rags- they celebrate youth and looking young and playing young. It's messed up. It also doesn't help that I work in the entertainment business- a double whammy. There's no selling a show to MTV if you don't have that "youthful vibe."

And it's not that I want to date 26 year olds- although I did have two dates last week with guys in their twenties. It's a drag thinking they were born when I was graduating from college. Nice guys, both of them...

The thing is, aging doesn't suck. Looking older does.

I can't tell you how many of my friends wash the gray out of their hair. Last night in the gym, I was noticing how dull my hair looked and realized it was because of the gray. I used to "low light"- to get rid of some of the gray, but it's a pain in the ass- and takes forever- it's half a day at the salon. So should I get the gray out my temples?

We dress young- I've got the low riding jeans- the cool shirts. Then again, Brody was looking at some pictures from a recent party and noted how all the old guys were wearing bright colored wild shirts.

My best friend Gary and I joke all the time about getting "work" done- He wants to get rid of the bags under his eyes- I want to get rid of the wrinkles.

And so when I looked in the mirror the other day- I decided the time has come.

I'm going to try Restalyne- and get rid of the puppet lines on the sides of my mouth. It only lasts for four months...and if it works, great.