In what moment I started to be a "Sir"?

Many remember the day they learned to ride a bicycle, the day they were allowed to move the family car for the first time, the first time they shaved that ended in a bloody gore movie scene.

And others, keep in mind the first time someone called them "Sir" (or "Ma'am"). For me it was around age 21 or 22, at that age you are still a kid, aren't you? But a child had to come to me searching for his mother, I was in the bank waiting on the line and I don't know if he did not see me well or simply because I was a person much taller than him he uttered the unexpected words: “Excuse me, SIR".

It felt as if someone had performed the ice bucket challenge on me without notice, "Sir? Did you just call me Sir? You insolent brat!". Of course I did not tell him that, but I thought it, I mean, me personally, I'd put someone under the category of "Sir" if he is around 35 years old.

But well, after that I have collected other experiences of friends and acquaintances, we all got super uncomfortable the first time someone called us that way, even more among women, way more! A female friend of mine who's 23 said to me that she was waiting for her doctor to arrive at an appointment when suddenly the secretary told her "you may go inside now ma'am", not even "miss", she went nuts.

But, let's analyze the term:

What is a Sir o a Ma'am? What characteristics do they meet?

For me, a sir is someone who is already at a certain age, invariably over 21 years old and who occupies a place in society as a benefactor (who works, pays taxes, is independent, etc.)

Can we call "sir" to a 16-year-old folk whose circumstances led him to marry because he got his girlfriend pregnant? Me personally: I can't. I can call him responsible, committed, but even if he has a beard I can't consider him a sir. Not at 16.

In conclusion, I believe that everyone has their parameters to consider that someone falls into the category of Sir or not, just as everyone in their internal jurisdiction feels a certain way regardless of whether society labels it as such. For example, someone can be somewhere in between his 40's and feel as if he still was in his 20's, and go to bars, clubs, parties, and if he looks good or bad that's not for me to judge. So, when do you start being a sir? When you feel it that way.