What did everyone do before they had children?

[Bella3456]

I had my son quite young gave birth at 23 (just turned) and my life before was a far cry from parenthood! I was a lapdancer and worked all over England even did some modelling before realising I was having my son. I lived the wild life. Obviously totally changed having my son have a regular job in a supermarket and can still do the school run luckily! I like my life as exhausting as it is I really do! But its such a far cry from the life I had in my late teens/ very early 20s! Did anyone else have a totally different lifestyle/ lifechoice before kids? Do you miss it? I miss my old life a lot but wouldn't trade it in for the world! I'm nearing 30 now and it all seems like a lifetime away almost like that life never even existed!

My life was pretty boring actually. I've always had the same office type roles before and after children.

I travelled in Australia for a year and did a lot of drinking and partying but fell pregnant with DD at 25 so after college etc there wasn't a huge of time to have an adult life pre-children. I'm very happy with that though - I never once regretted having kids.

I slept and didn't appreciate the joys of not having to hide in a different room to eat something without having to SHARE, MUMMY.

Yes, I travelled a lot, mainly for pleasure. Lots of full moon parties in Asia, raves on beaches and accompanying drink/drugs that goes with that lifestyle. I basically partied my way around the world. Surfing and scuba diving in the daytime. Now I have three kids and live a very quiet life in the middle of nowhere. I don’t even drink anymore snd rarely go out.

@Trixiefirecracker sounds amazing! I always wanted to go to the full moon party in Thailand!

Travelled a lot and had a really active sex life.....

Nothing as interesting, although did far more hiking than I manage now while having to make sure it's suitable for small legs/carrier/double pushchair friendly.
I definitely did not have enough appreciation for sleep.

Jobs we're pretty similar, insurance then law pre kids. Still in law.

@Bella3456 it was fun but I don’t miss it. I’m pretty happy with my lot. Kids are wonderful and I’m glad I realised that in time to have them, I left it very late!

@NearlyHeadlessNick I do feel you there as as crazy as I must seem in that post I to miss walks pre child!

@Trixiefirecracker bless you I bet they are all wonderful

I worked hard and played even harder.
I didnt have our DS until i was 35, so it was alot of going out, partying, doing as we pleased when we pleased...oh and sleeping/staying in bed until whenever we wanted of a weekend.
do i miss it now....Not one bit, i did enough to tide me over for a good few years and couldn't think of anything worse now.....although a lie in... i may take that

I had a lie in once!! 7 years ago when I was pregnant

On Sundays we used to cuddle on the sofa, watch Made In Chelsea and nap.
I used to go to the toilet alone.
On sunny weekends we'd walk into town for a few drinks without three weeks of pre-planning.

It was a magical time.

(wouldn't change a thing etc etc.)

Luckily I was never a very spontaneous person anyway, and not someone who wanted to constantly travel or see the whole world.

Had and still have normal office job.

Did used to go clubbing quite a lot, but never week in week out - I could only manage an all-nighter about once a month, but that's probably because, unlike most of my mates I wasn't usually on drugs. I consciously wound down the going out a bit in the run up to use starting a family. We have family nearby who would have kids overnight so I was lucky to still be able go out more than many parents of young kids.

Lots of drugs and a small bit of travelling. Drugs obviously not recommended folks

Gigs and sleeping.

I did modelling too for a short while, page 3. I carried on after my first was born when I was 20. Then went into childcare, big change haha. I've not worked for a few years now I've got 4 kids.

Had my first at 36. Before then I did loads of travelling, had a responsible job involving lots of worldwide travel, multiple boyfriends with a fair amount of overlap, had my own house, dabbled in soft drugs every now and again and had a generally very pleasant life, but was getting bored of it all.

Kids are 18 & 15 now and am counting down the days to when I can spend six months of the year in a nice little house in Corfu by the sea.

I had a glam ‘City’ job, lots of posh restaurants, expensive suits, international travel, strutting arouns handing out opinions, etc. (And late nights fixing other people’s mistakes, boring work, and creepy unreasonable clients.)

Now I’m sahm, I live in tracksuit bottoms and a food-stained PJ top and no-one apart from DC and DH care what I think about anything. I’m much happier but I suspect m my husband is a bit disappointed in my new look.

Really enjoying hearing about peoples past lives! Amazing how much kids change you it really is!

I had a DJ boyfriend from 17-22 & used to spend most of my time in Ibiza hanging of his every word (cringe) then when we split up, I carried on partying every weekend, bought my flat very young, had the best single(ish) life of new clothes every week etc & all I cared about was the next weekend….did this well into my mid 30’s….

Now I have 1 child, haven’t got endless disposable income to spoil myself with & hardly ever go out! I play with my little girl, walk my dog & have a few glasses of Prosecco at weekend & ILOVE it!!

Wouldn’t change my party days, had lots of fun but for me, nothing beats my life now!

I was a raver. I sometimes feel conflicted because getting pregnant was the best thing that ever happened to me but I can’t shake off who I am. I’ve not touched drugs for 20 years but when chime comes on my playlist I just can’t help dancing.

Worked in the City in the 80s/early 90s. Was very very disciplined around work. Kissed some frogs, bought very expensive shoes, drove too fast, had such a lovely time. Then met DH struggled to have two dc. Had 8 glorious years at home. Went back to work. Still working.

Ngl it was a bit extreme. Started out as typical Gen X slacker stuff, three nights out of seven partying and so on plus the necessary accessories, then I kind of fell in to working/living in really quite dodgy situations all over, people with a price on their heads sort of thing. There's a few made the international news since, just a bit extreme. Had a massive cocaine induced meltdown after a fucking stupid Panama incident, decided to live quietly after, got pregnant a year later. I do sometimes look at the people around me now and my job and what I do and so on and it's like my past is someone else, it's a bit surreal. Is that how you feel too OP? Obviously I don't talk about it. I just say I travelled for a while.

Dying at the overlap of boyfriends comment I remember being 15 and doing that! And one found out and he got so angry he hacked my bebo (CAN ANYONE REMEBER BEBO???) and all my bebo said was im a slut whose after penis!! This was from a 15 year old boy! My mates absolutely died laughing at it at the time but thank GOD it was long before the Internet had completely took off!