Things you enjoy as an adult

[ThinkingForEveryone]

Because your parents had strange rules around them?
For me it's:
Showering daily
Using 'too much' shampoo and shower gel etc.
Washing my clothes and bedding before it could walk to the washing machine by itself.
Enjoying a spontaneous trip out for lunch/a bit of shopping with the kids.
Eating my evening meal later than 5pm rather than planning the whole day around making sure your back in time for 5pm.
Buying my kids branded items for school (not the cheapest version off the market)
Sure there are more...what are yours?

I had a wonderful childhood though, so those aren’t complaints really. The most ridiculous thing my parents let me do as a child/teen was use 5 full size towels every time I had a shower/bath (they were washed once a week) 😂 Feet, lower body, upper body, hair and face. MIL was absolutely horrified the first time I stayed over and used the 3 clean towels I found on a shelf in her bathroom. She said to “help yourself” presumably to just the 1 hahaha

Watching TV before 5pm.

Not reading - I listen and watch constantly and consume loads of culture but I don't read and the world hasn't ended.

Lying in.

Sitting by a pool all day on holiday if I want to.

Not taking a flask anywhere.
Eating in the street!

Being married and not having screaming rows.

Whereas I enjoy roast dinners and chips because we never had roasts or takeaways when I was a kid!

Sucking the end of a drink noisily through a straw.

(The towels one is completely bonkers!)

I bought a tub of ready to eat pomegranate, never felt so decadent.

Get to enjoy sundays as a day to be chill and relaxed rather than sitting in a church. I silently hated the religion as a child, then left home and have never gone again- so freeing.

Bought nice new socks, instead of repairing the ones I had worn holes through. New socks feel amazing.

Generally buying new things when the old ones are broken, I was so trained to just repair or live with it, we had no shower head for 4 years after even the zip ties were not holding it together. Our front door was boarded up for my entire childhood. And I still don't have much money but damn it I can save £8.50 to buy a shower head and its glorious. My flat functions, everything in it either works or will be replaced soon, I love it.

I have silly mugs now, they make me smile and I like them.

Walking in the house with shoes on. Mind you, my OH really doesn't like that either! 🤪

A lie in for me too. Not having my father come into my sister's and my bedroom at daybreak in the winter to fling open the curtains, say "it's been a lovely day" and proceed to scrape the condensation off the window with one of those squeaky rubber things.

Speaking English. If I did my mother would shout at me or slap me around the face.

Coming back to the UK to live with my grandparents was like being let out of prison. I didn't speak a word of French for years afterward and only occasionally nowadays, and only when I'm speaking to my sister who still lives in Provence.

Self catering holidays in the UK! My parents frowned upon both. We like holidays abroad too where we can do sod all for two weeks but we've had some wonderful breaks in the UK that, shock horror, have been self catering.

Doing as much laundry as I want. DM washes everything strictly by the label (it'd take weeks to get a full load of 40 with two lines under...).

Not stinking of smoke all the time. Both parents heavy smokers. Dad's no longer alive but mum's house smells like an ashtray. I have to wash everything (including my hair) after I've visited.

Doing a big shop in a supermarket. My parents would drive miles and miles picking up bits from here and there. Dad used to drive 8 miles to a supermarket where a few key items were pence cheaper.

Not having to follow a religion and being able to do whatever the hell I want on the Lord's day.

Not having a roast every Sunday (I don’t really like them!)
Buying ready washed salad, we always had proper lettuce that took ages to wash and properly dry
Eating out regularly, and not carrying sandwiches everywhere
Not cutting my 15m child’s hair (keep getting hints about a first haircut, but they have beautiful curls!)
Not taking local currency with us in holiday, we pay in card or take cash out there, my parents always get (a lot!) currency from M&S despite it not being the cheapest

When I go to a theme park or zoo I don’t always take a picnic. Sometimes I forgo the packed picnic for hot chips. Also I leave the park earlier if we are done and everyone’s happy, we don’t always stay until the last minute.

I sometimes eat two packets of crisps in a day. Sometimes even 3!

I eat meals now that sometimes contain no meat

I very rarely have pudding, rather than a large homemade one each day (twice on Sundays)

I was dreading cutting ds hair (18mo) but he was just too hot in the last week and it kept getting everywhere, I cut off a good inch off the bottom and round the sides and his curls bounced back!

Pretty much everything that involves spending money.

We were brought up so frugally.

My DM has since past away and left us some of her carefully saved money, she'd be turning in her grave at the crap I've bought! I'm trying to spend it carefully in her honour, but I feel so sad she didn't get to enjoy the money that she was so careful with she wouldn't have wanted me to spend it either, just save it like she did.
Money is a complicated issue in my family.

My Dad hasn't got any money saved (opposite problem with him - you can see why they hated each other) so instead he's having to be forced to sell his home and go into care because he can't afford to run his home and have carers because he has no savings.

Honestly sometimes it seems you can't win!

Lots of things actually

• not walking on egg shells, not worrying about when the key goes in the door
• being able to make myself something to eat after 8 o clock
• being able to have a wash whenever I like
• not having to pretty much whisper once my dad went to bed (which was about 8ish)
• going on day trips (never really did this as a child)

Im so thankful for my life now. It's not perfect but it's much less stressful

I should have said getting divorced!

It was the second most expensive thing I've ever done (Buying my house was first, My wedding day was third) but worth every penny.

My parents never divorced (because of money and religion) even though they should have.

Having Sunday mornings to myself, rather than being forced to get dressed up, walk to church on the other side of town, sit through yet another indescribably boring mass, then trudging over to the church hall for tea & gossip, then walking back home.

I still bitterly resent the hours of my life I wanted in that bloody church wishing for it to be over and promising myself that I would never, ever put myself through this when I was grown up and would never ever subject my own children to it.

Gallivanting!

it isn’t some sort of moral failing- it is a great way to spend your time, actually.

@TheGirlWhoLived
thanks!! Ours looks like that now, so think we can wait a bit, just waiting for the front to grow out a bit more, don’t want to cut a fringe as they might look like they have a mullet!!

Buying Coco pops. I'm 38 and I enjoy buying a box occasionally, wasn't allowed them when I was a child!

My lovely DM used to make me triangle sandwiches, but only when I was ill because of the medical properties they imbued.

So now if I'm ill my DH makes me triangle sandwiches 🙂

I will occasionally turn on the interior light on the car WHEN IN MOTION. Not too often, I don't have a death wish, but I do enjoy it.

I enjoy being able to go to the loo on a day out without it being a major drama. Honestly, I'd say I needed the loo and it would cause so much huffing and puffing from my mum's partner at the time and then she would follow suit. It caused me such massive anxiety and it is only now 30 odd years later that I am beginning to realise my DH doesn't really care about my toilet habits.

@Whataplanker there’s hot competition, but this has to be the craziest one! What the hell was the huffing and puffing about? You poor child

For me it's the luxury of sitting and doing nothing which was always frowned upon, any sitting down was rewarded instantly with the assignment of a chore

Going to coffee shops for a cup of coffee and a cake and watching the world go by.

Not eating leftovers for days on end and just giving them to the dog the next morning if I'm not going to use them