What's been your biggest regret in life?

[cluckyduckyfeelinglucky]

I wish I could go back and redo my school years. I would study much harder to get a better job and I'd relish those carefree days when all that matters is your social life. I have a good life, great hubby and I am lucky that I have a wonderful supporting family on both sides.

I also wish a could go back and undo some mistakes I made, can't be done now but I do wish there was a time travel button.

I also wish I had traveled more before having a family. America mainly

Getting married, I knew on the day that it wasn't right, but didn't have the balls to cancel it.

However, everything that happened lead me to where I am now, and I wouldn't change that for the world.

TitaniasAss I spent a lot of my teens and 20s agonising over things and second guessing how I handled things - often things others didn't remember just being a real people pleaser to my own detriment.

Since then I've learnt I can't expect perfection from myself, not everyone going to be happy with me and my decsions and that's okay and not everyone going to have my best interests at heart.

I do best I can at the time and have to remind myself of that and beyond that I'm always polite as that's very ingrained by my upbringing.

Getting married & getting pregnant, much as I love ds I think I would have been happier on my own.

I've got many of those 'should've done that differently/ better' type scenarios, but I don't think of them as regrets as such.

My only real regret, the thing I can't ever change, is losing touch with my closest friend. I put off contacting her for far too many years, and then it was too late, she died. That was 5 years ago, and I still can't believe I'll never speak to her again. In my mind she's still as alive, sparkling and beautiful as she was the last time I saw her in 1999.

Not having more kids. I was too old to have as many as I wanted, once my bio clock kicked in. Delighted and grateful for my beautiful ones I have, but I want more,

I wish I divorced my first husband sooner so I had a few fertile years left for second and beloved second husband. I stayed when I was not happy for too long.

Not focusing enough on developing a career, and on the skills needed for an interesting, varied career. My job is fine but I just sort of fell into it without thinking.

Making contact with my biological father. I must’ve hurt my (step) Dad a lot, and I ultimately felt rejected all over again.

Who leaves a three year old and goes to the other side of the world?

Arsehole.

I used to say don't have regrets justessons learned but I regret not leaving my ex husband earlier and being pressurised into getting sterilised at 24 by him. I would have loved children, especially now I have met my amazing Husband. Too old now at 50 xxx

On the one hand I have loads of regrets. On the other hand, each ‘mistake’ has got me to where I am now and life is not too shabby.

I wish I'd started taking antidepressants in my late teens, I would have had a very different life.
Really that's the only thing. Some terrible things have happened but I've got something good, or someone good, out of everything.

Looking back with a critical eye, my entire life is a litany of bad, bad decisions that have triggered the next one, like dominos.
Staring with my choice of subjects for a-level, then the degree I chose, the uni I went to because I thought I was in love, the degree I dropped out of, the next degree, not learning to drive when I was young and open to learning new things.
So much.
The only thing I thing I don't and will never regret is not having kids. It's not for me and never has been and I'm really glad I listened to my instincts and didn't bow to societal pressure and expectations.

I regret spending my life worrying about everything

I feel like I have stuffed my life up for sure. How I could have done it better, though, I don't know. Been a different person, brighter and more energetic maybe.

@burstcouch can you afford some lessons? 39 is really really not too late to learn!

I regret not finishing off any college course, I got bored too easily and kept changing courses. However I can start now! There are lots of online courses available these days.

Oh and also regret not saving earlier, or starting a pension.

I do have several regrets, wish I'd done something different, but I think it's pointless to think about it, since I can't change things, but only learn for the future.

One thing that does bother me is the lack of input I've given to kids on their careers. One one level I feel OK that I've left them choose their own path. However, one is on a path they enjoy, but is really really struggling financially, and always will, it's a road to nowhere. I can support now, but won't be able to in a few years time. I wish I'd encouraged them to consider alternatives.

I wasn’t always good at making time for people. When my Dad and great aunt and grandparents died I found cards and gifts I hadn’t got round to sending them.

But I have been able to use that knowledge to get better at doing those things now.