Poll: How old were you when you met your oldest friend

I was listening to Shawn Colvin being interviewed today and she said how she has lots of friends since high school. Somebody in her band said he had a friend since Kindergarten. I met my oldest friend that I'm still friends with when I was 13. It got me curious about when other people met their oldest friend.

Gordon,
Seeing as how you are "Older Than Dirt" you are my oldest freind.

Love,
Admeral Armidillo

So what was it like hanging with Methuselah back in the day?  :)

I met my oldest, and still best friend in 1st grade when we were both 6. My dad and my paternal grandmother both are still very good friends with people that they met in grade school as well. In fact my grandma and three women she graduated from high school with were featured in the newspaper a few years ago because the 4 of them still get together for a school reunion every few years or so.

and i have been friends since second grade. he's my roomie now too.

Good poll!! Unless you don't have friends . . .

It's funny - my best friend and I met when we were 13, and we're still best friends, but most of the other people I knew in high school/jr. high I've never seen again . . .

My oldest friend & I met in utero. His parents and my parents met in childbirth class. I was born first!!!

I have a friend now who was born in the same hospital as I was, 3 days before me, but we didn't meet until we were about to turn 23 and were both living 700 miles from where we were born. We missed a chance to meet when he was a prospective student at my college and stayed with some kids in my freshman dorm. Now we live about 15 minutes apart. So I know he doesn't count as an old friend, but that's kinda like meeting in utero. :) OK, maybe not.

I am still friends with the girl who, I'm told, was the first friend I ever made. She's about 6 months younger than I am (a year behind me in school) and lived about 8 houses down the street from me when we were babies until my family moved to the suburbs when I was about to start 1st grade. Then, when she was about to start 3rd grade, her family moved to the same suburb, in the housing development right next to ours (only slightly intentionally). We didn't have a ton in common in high school, but we get along quite well now although I'm terrible at keeping in touch.

It seems that plurality of people's first lasting friendship started in Middle School. That is what I suspected. Any theories why?

Sure, here's one:

Adolescence, a period which most people generally agree begins in Middle School / Junior High, is also one of the most critical stages for development of personality and individual values.  I'd wager that when an adolescent meets someone who mirrors some of their developing personality traits, they latch on to that person, and, as adolescent development continues, their personalities become more and more similar.  I know that my best friend from middle school understands my sense of humor and taste in music  better than anyone else I know, for example.  Probably because we went through a lot of the same experiences that form those tastes.

I met Casey around the time I was born. We were around each other a lot because our mom's were friend, but we didn't become friends until I was 15 or 16.. which would have made him 21 or 22.. I think.