What do you wish you'd done before having children?

Didn't mean to sound judgemental - sorry. And we don't have much money - we've just taken our dcs along with anything we wanted to do.

I was sad that people seem to be assuming that you can't do stuff with children. I don't think our children are different from anyone else's and we've done lots.

Didn't mean to sound judgemental - sorry. And we don't have much money - we've just taken our dcs along with anything we wanted to do.

I was sad that people seem to be assuming that you can't do stuff with children. I don't think our children are different from anyone else's and we've done lots.

Totally agree - it's not the fact you can't physically travel, sail etc with children, but more that most people lose a lot of their income when DCs come along and that puts pay to a lot of these activites.

moved the piano out of the bathroom so that you can actually get in the bath when in labour

i wish i had learn't to drive, finished my uni course as i'm worried it will be a struggle after baby arrives and gone on more holidays with my beloved. i know you can go on hols with babies but it's not quite 'get up at lunch time, bonk, lie by the pool, bonk, drink cocktails, bonk, go for delicious boozy meal, go back for more bonking then sleep!' when you have little ones.

i wish id not freaked out/panicked at school and actually fulfilled my educational potential, gone to uni, gotten an interesting job.

ho hum.

Sorry you find it sad seeker but if you knew my children you would understand, ds we maybe could do it now he is 5.5 but dd there is just nooo way! Also money is a factor we could no way afford anything!

Lucky you Seeker. It costs alot of money to pay for accomodation etc for 4 people and some children just wouldn't cope with the disruption of travelling. My children are prob. just coming to the age where they can but certainly not before. You sound a bit judgemental.

Nothing too much! Took many years to concieve DD(6years) so learnt to ski and managed 2 ski hols a year for that time, leant to scuba dive and dived in the Red Sea , among other colder places! Moved house, did work related courses and took on a senior position setting up a new service. At the mo a SAHM - love it except for poor pay.
good luck with TTC

Sad about people saying they can't travel or do things with children - why not? We've travelled, sailed, climbed - dole all sorts of things since the dcs were born.

...learned about contraception?

Travelling, definately.
Still we are now planning a safari with DD so maybe it is not so bad?!

I wish i had known more about what i wanted in life from a man before i had a child with what i thought was one. (i was 16 in my defence). (Now have the best DH ever!!)

Everything else is fine - i have managed to do a degree, go on holidays, have friends/wild nights etc...don't feel left out or that there is another me iyswim?

If i hadn't had ds1 i would have done my law degree by now, i expect. I have decided since to do a Social Work degree, purely from my motherhood experiences i think.

I wish we had been on exotic holidays together we have never been on one just me & dp we had ds just 12 months after meeting!

I wish i had studied, been to uni & got a career first.

I wish we had got on the housing ladder.

Been out & about alot more together & explored.

I would not change my children for the world but i maybe think i would have waited a few years till i started my family if i knew what i know now, not because of them but because this world is a struggle to live in. However i am only young & at least when i am in my late thirties i will have freedom & time to do all the things i want to do.

Learnt to drive
Gone to uni/got a career
Had at least one holiday to far away place

Wish i had learnt to drive..was to busy having fun at time to think about things like that!! Certainly would have made life a little easier especially with 4 of them!! But never mind i shall prob take lessons again when my 2yo goes to nursery jan 09!

Appreciated the bliss that is lying in bed until lunchtime.
Eaten out...all the time
MOre holidays (we did do quite a bit of travelling before dc thank goodness)

Again...appreciated the weekend lie-in

I wish I'd had more sleep, drank much much more wine and been to New York more than once I miss all day sessions at the pub too! But seeing ds smile at me makes it all worth it (sounds of vomiting)

had a nude picture of myself to prove that once I did have a non flabby, saggy and wrinkly body!!!!

Saved more money. I did everyone else I wanted to do which is I why I have no money!

Travel to places would not consider taking dd (India/Peru/Africa).

Going to lots of cultural things - we lived in London when child free so went to exhibitions, galleries, cinema, theatre and loved it. Bike rides in Richmond Park and pub lunch.

With a toddler we find these are just too much hassle and you have to factor in getting a babysitter which when on one salary can make going out offputting so easier just not to bother.

Had a life

(had dd at 19)

Taken a plaster cast of what I realise in retrospect really were rather fabulous tits.

YES! I wish I'd started having kids earlier! I wish someone had diagnosed my PCOS a lot earlier!

Gone on LOTS more holidays
Spent lots of money we thought we didn't have, on ourselves (because now, we really don't have any!)
Gone to the pictures more often
Not wasted our free time sitting around

Well...we had the fabulous holidays, the sporty Z3 two seater BMW, romantic weekends, late night trips to the cinema. But since we had our daughter our lives have changed for the better. She has brought so much happiness and good luck into our lives. Traveling abroad or going out for dinner is easy, because she is so well behaved. I am not a strict mum, she just came out that way . So we are enjoying everything we do with her by our sides. I wish we could clone her