To ask how is adulthood different from what you thought it would be like as a child?

Once I finally realised I wasn't going to grow up to be a fairy or a witch, I decided I wanted a nice office job, a family and a nice house in my home town (in the bit where all my posher friends lived).

I have a nice office job, a DH and DC, and am buying a house in my home town (but alas not quite in the posh bit).
I will live out my fairy/witch dreams by growing a bunch of herbs and trying to get all my friends to try my herbal teas!

I don’t eat unlimited sweets and ice cream. And I do t stay up
really late!

Also, I thought adults never argued- my gosh how wrong I've been!! 😂

I grew up believing/being taught that you did your A-levels, went to University, got a job, married, had children and that was it. My parents never told me that I could travel, explore, try a variety of different job roles...and so I never have done. I wish they'd told me how adventurous, thrilling, wonderful and intriguing life could actually be- but then they never came across that way themselves.

I know now, the rest is up to me!

I realised that adults don't know everything, what I thought was old, isn't, and some adults have never actually grown up at all, and I'm amazed how some actually function in life.

I just thought you grew old and knew everything.

I assumed I would have life more or less figured out. Noooooooope.

I remember thinking that when I was 30 and had 'achieved all my work goals' I would retire to the coast.

Thanks “Cordroy”.. yes it was. I still get a kick out of connecting with people and helping… am lucky in many many ways.

I dreamed of being a doctor .. like Trapper John MD or St Elswhere… I thought I would spend my time making clever diagnosis and not worry about money.
in reality I am bloody exhausted and burnt out. I feel sad for the state of medicine and the poor care people get, I am the main income earner and a”part time” (if 40 plus hrs per week) GP income is very stressful and I worry about paying bills and my card got declined today.

This. This with bells on.

I HATE COOKING!!

I used to think that adults weren’t shy or easily embarrassed and that every adult got on, because it was only children who had arguments and that my parents got on really well with their siblings.

It’s only now I am that age I realise I am still quite shy and easily embarrassed, and sibling relationships are still hard!

I grew up working class and I imagined adulthood to at least include a cleaner, a library room, and a constant and varying social calendar. I have no idea why, it's just what I saw for myself.

Unfortunately I'm an introvert with similarly introverted friends. Property is ridiculously expensive so my own private library will have to remain a dream. I could have a cleaner though, I just can't be arsed. Anyway, I can't complain! Life is pretty good.

I spent much of my childhood absolutely blindly confused by what everyone did and what I was supposed to be doing - following directions only to get it 'wrong' and feel as though I was never quite catching up with where I was supposed to be. It was ADHD.

Now I'm an adult and I understand myself quite well. I do ALL the things I wanted to as a child - I write books, I don't martyr myself to housework like my mum did, (and, as an aside, I used to ride my horse to the pub and shop and tie him up outside - never did a week's worth of shopping though, just a Mars bar and a packet of crisps, but we live in the middle of nowhere, so it's allowed).

I liked the carefree days of childhood and not having to pay bills and being allowed to play. But I much prefer adulthood because now I KNOW why everyone else is so confusing and I just go my own way and paddle my own canoe. It's great.

I just knew l wasn’t going to be anything like my mother, l wouldn’t nag constantly and go on about money all the time, I decided l would earn my own money. I succeeded in both things.

I assumed I’d have kids in my early twenties and be able to be a SAHM forever, like my mum was. My dad didn’t earn brilliantly but we never seemed to go without anything. Just a sign of the times I guess. Mum used to spend lots of time having coffee with friends and I just assumed this was what happened - quite a shock to the system when I realised I would have to go out to work to afford things! 😂

When I was very small I remember thinking everyone was just an adult or a child and stayed that way 🤔 so 'growing up' never really occurred to me then! Not sure I gave it that much thought later either, it just happened!

Ooh who is the famous actor OP?
I genuinely thought I would have a capsule wardrobe that would involve some kind of skirt suit and heels. Plus a chic boxy handbag. Still waiting!

I’ve had similar but with musicians I loved in my youth and still do. It’s very weird to be chatting online and in person to them.
Not John Taylor though. 😆

Well I’m not married to John Taylor from Duran Duran, living in a swanky flat in London, with a career earning £££’s.

But I agree op, I though there’d be no bullies and all adults would be, well adults in their behaviour

I thought I would be an author (pen name Jessica Stirling, so glamorous!) who also owned and rode horses. Neither of these things came about, unfortunately obsessive love of reading does not necessarily translate into an ability to write books and the horse thing was never going to happen, despite reading Jill's Gymkana every week for a year.

On the bright side I think reading Enid Blyton gave me a sense of the countryside and of old houses that I absolutely yearned to experience and now I do have that. So that makes me happy.