Ways life didn’t pan out how you expected as a child

[Sarahandduck18]

As a child I assumed I’d get married, change my name, have 3dcs live in and own a semi or detached house with a garage garden and a bedroom for every child. I assumed my dcs would go to good state or private schools and I’d never be out of employment. I assumed I’d we’d have a foreign holiday every year and a decent sized not old banger of a car. I assumed I’d always be healthy and a healthy bmi. I assumed I’d have a career and would progress up and be in the higher tax band type level of responsibility by middle age.

I didn’t think any of these things were too ‘out there’ or ambitious.

But when I look at my life it is very different!

Some things I wouldn’t want anymore (marriage/name change) but some I feel I’ve failed my dcs (holidays/house)

I suppose it’s a generational thing.

My parents of course blame it all on us having smartphones!

Are other women’s lives what their child’s eye saw?

I am a child of the 70s and also lived in terror of quicksand. I thought I wouldn’t live to adulthood because of a long list of things that might happen, including the rabies, and of course, nuclear attack.

I’m happy to report that at pushing 50, I’ve avoided such hazards quite well.

I thought I'd be married with two DC, and I wanted to be younger than my mum was when she had me and my brother (30 and 32) as she always seemed old compared to my friends' mums. As it turns out I'm married to a lovely DH with three DC, and I was 31, 33 and 35 when I had them.

I haven't got the job I thought I would, but having said that, if you'd told the younger me that this was my job I wouldn't have been very surprised iyswim. I live in a bigger house than I expected to.

I thought I'd be a famous but reclusive author, living on a farm in rural Northern England or Scotland, with 4 DC (3 boys and a girl), and lots of animals. We'd have lots of adventures, riding in forests and exploring old castles. No idea who I thought I would marry!

I am living in the North. Happily married, one DC (and definitely no more!), living in suburbia, barely written a word creatively since Uni, instead did medicine, which has worked out well financially, but I'm on the brink of burnout now and reconsidering my career. Still would like to at least finish a novel one day!

I was going to leave the small town where I live and move to the bright lights of a big city where I would be a rich and famous popstar/photographer/writer. I was never going to get married, never going to have kids, never going to waste my time being a SAHM like my own mum.

I'm still living in the same place (actually even more rural than I was before!). Married with two kids and love being a mum more than anything. And I would have loved nothing more than to be able to stay home when my kids were babies!

I was never, ever going to have children, get married or become a teacher.

Currently sitting at my teacher desk, about to go home for the eve and cook dinner for me, DH and DD.

Oh, and I live in the US. Didn't see that one coming.

As a child i used to work how old my parents and sisters would be by the year 2000. I knew I would be married with 2 kids ,which I was but i did know my dad would not be alive.
I knew wanted kids in my 20s . I glad I did as my eyes started going by mid 30s . Which was something I should have known about since my dad went blind.
I could not see my ex being together when we were old and grey .and we are not .
I did want to take the kids to Disney land but we Alton towers once and that was it .

I was going to be able to turn myself into a fawn or a foal at will.
I was going to be an author.
I was going to live in a house with stairs - how I longed for stairs (and tie backs for curtains!), and have pets.
Early teens, hugely self conscious and angsty I decided I'd be a parachutist.

Number 3 worked out alright.

I swore I’d never learn to type or have a desk job!

I assumed I was going to be either Wonder Woman or Princess Leia and to be honest I'm still pretty pissed off that I'm not either of them.

On the plus side I assumed that when I was a grown up I would be allowed to have more than one small capful of Matey in my bath and could therefore have an enormous bubble bath a la Kylie in the I Should Be So Lucky video. That's turned out to be true although with Radox instead of Matey

Despite being blonde and very short for my age, I would grow up to look like Kelly out of Charlie’s Angels: tall, leggy, and raven haired. This is still my biggest disappointment.
I’d be a surgeon and massively successful with a big house, a boy and a girl and pets and a handsome husband.
Despite academic success I have underperformed career wise. I also married an utter tosser, divorced him after having two lovely girls, one of who is severely disabled.
I am fortunate in that I am now happily married to a non-tosser and we are materially well off, but it is mostly down to him and not me.
I remain small and blonde and a bit on the dumpy side.