Things it took you far to long to work out (or admit)

That there’s only one Marley ghost in the original Christmas Carol…the Muppets deceived me.

I think that’s exactly it. People who behave very badly sometimes get so used to getting away with it that they convince themselves they’re invincible - and then they go too far and get caught/fuck up somehow. This happens often enough to support the idea of karma.

However, karma shouldn’t be one-way. If it’s not just about punishing bad behaviour, then there are a lot of lovely people who should be getting rewarded by the universe - and sadly I just don’t see many examples 🙁

That paying for a trim every 6-8 weeks will not make your hair grow quicker or thicker!

And that you don't have to take the man's surname when you marry

That taking artificial hormones to prevent pregnancy is actually a significant thing for your body and should be fully understood before you consent to it.

I finally understood that my mother does not and never will love/like me. I have spent my 50+ years chasing her acceptance. I became a people pleasing pushover trying to appease her. A final act of betrayal from her truly woke me up. I am no contact with her now. She is 84 and I probably will not go to her funeral.

Many years ago a colleague needed surgery on his back. He was in agony. The surgeon asked him what he was doing when the injury occurred. He replied that he was putting his socks on. The surgeon wanted to know if he was seated or standing/hopping on one leg. My colleague had been standing on one leg and the surgeon told him that he did multiple operations a year on people who had been putting their socks/pants on and that it was much safer to sit down. I have been sitting down to do this for the last 40 years.

As another poster said, it is good for your balance to be able/and to practise standing on one leg, just not when putting your socks/pants on.

I agree. I’ve been around a long time, and I genuinely believe the saying that if you sit long enough beside the river, the bodies of your enemies will float past.

So many things! My parents taught me that talking about money is vulgar, in any setting. This led to my being exploited because I never talked about money with employers. This led me to being ripped off by acquaintances - as it was 'vulgar to remind them about the £20 they borrowed for a taxi'.

Also, my parents told me I could do anything I want for a degree, which led me to doing financially useless degrees and only making more or less normal money in my mid 30s. So no, you don't support your children in their aspirations regardless. You talk to them and paint the future - bedsits, lack of money, having to be a private tutor to supplement your income from your dream job, etc. etc.

That other people's opinions don't matter, I really don't need to care if anyone else thinks I look stupid with leg warmers on as long as I like them and my legs are warm. That I don't need to try to make the men at work feel like they're in charge, they aren't, I am and if they don't like it that's their problem.

Sitting down to put your socks on is fine but it's worth practising standing on one leg perhaps when cleaning your teeth. It's linked to longevity and a good thing to keep trying to do.

"Be kind" - not a chance nowadays. Give an inch & you're expected to starve so others can eat. Nothing at all wrong with reciprocal kindness with your nearest & dearest but as a general rule for women, it's dangerous, it's self depreciation & I wish I'd realised this before my 50s.

Disagree on this one!

Fantastic!

@Hwi i think the original poster meant that it's about the ultra processing and the sugar, not the pesticides. Yes the world is contaminated with chemicals and yes it's dreadful but homemade granola is better than cornflakes if the homemade granola is made with whole foods (and hence no additives, you get the food in its original format i.e. the food matrix, as opposed to whatever TF cornflakes used to be)

So wonderfully put, so true!

At work, you are a payroll ID. Nothing more, nothing less.

You might form individual friendships with other payroll ID’s, but this does not make the workplace your family.

That it's ok to just do your hours at work and no more. I used to work so hard it made me sick, now I do what I'm paid to do and no more and really get under the skin of the work all the hours in the world people as I walk away from my desk at 530.

Yes, because your granola is made of stuff grown on a special separate planet, where they don't use chemicals at all - you know, the same special 'organic' stuff that is grown downstream of the farms, using pesticides and other chemicals. And the rain that falls on that granola is also special, not the same rain that falls on anything else, so your home-made granola is absolutely fine!

Something I wish that I had known, and that I'm putting here in the hope that young Mumsnetters will heed it, is that the beginnings of dementia are created in our 30s. Two of the largest factors are alcohol and lack of exercise. Worrying about it once 50 or 60 is too late.

Keep doing this for as long as you can! (Safely). It maintains your balance reactions and flexibility.

That the saying ‘this too will pass’ is very true and useful when you are feeling so low and believing things will never change. They will.
That all this accumulation of wealth which we are all led to believe is the way to be successful in this world is nonsense and does not make you happy. It may appear to briefly but not in the long run. Make good memories instead.
That cats are awesome and the more you have, the better life is.

That you don't have to please all of the people all of the time .
If something doesn't work for you don't do it .
At work , you don't have to do it all , just do enough .

Ditto tubes of tomato purée.

I spent more than 40 years looking for something to pierce them with!

That people lie so casually, even people who love you - or are supposed to.
That’s all I’m gonna say about that.