LotR -- Book 1 - Chapter 02 - The Shadow of the Past

[Guinevere]

Just a detail which struck me already in the first chapter, and in the beginning of chapter 2 again, is that Bilbo and Frodo's friends are all much younger.
about Bilbo :

But he had no close friends, until some of his younger cousins began to grow up. The eldest of these, and Bilbo's favourite, was young Frodo Baggins

Frodo is in fact 78 years younger than Bilbo !
About Frodo:

He lived alone, as Bilbo had done: but he had a great many friends, especially among the younger hobbits (mostly descendants of the old Took) who had as children been fond of Bilbo and often in and out of Bag End. (.....)
Frodo went tramping all over the Shire with them

I realized just recently that Pippin was only 11 years old at the time of Bilbo's party!! (one tends to forget that when one has movie-Pippin in one's mind... )
I've looked at the genealogies:
Pippin is 22 years younger than Frodo, Merry 14 and Fatty 12 years younger, and Sam either 12 or 15 years younger.

Now why is that so ? Perhaps because the grown up hobbits were too staid, too narrowminded and had no imagination left ? I guess it was only the children that still had a sense for wonder who listened to Bilbo's tales with relish, and appreciated and admired him.
Frodo too chose his companions for "tramping around the Shire" among the adolescent hobbits. Probably they were more openminded, still more adventurous and lively than the grown-ups. When I read the conversation in the "Green Dragon" and Ted Sandymans' "No nonsense" attitude., I don't wonder.

"Ah," said Ted, "(....)But I can hear fireside-tales and children's stories at home, if I want to."
"No doubt you can," retorted Sam,"and I daresay there's more truth in some of them than you reckon. Who invented the stories anyway? Take dragons now."

This statement relates to the conversation but I think it is one of the timeless truths one finds all over the books. Anyhow, it reminds me of what Tolkien wrote in "On Fairy-stories" .