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Original poster

Based on what you wanted to be when you were grew up , has your life turned out as planned?

61 replies

OneUmberJoker · 22/12/2025 15:16

No not really

OP posts:
TheGrimSmile · 22/12/2025 15:27

Well when I was at primary school I wanted to be a "gypsy". I wanted to live in one of those colourful painted Romany caravans, pulled around by a little pony with a whippet as company. I didnt envisage having a job as such but planned to live off the land, foraging for food and living very simply. I pictured myself moving from place to place with my animals. Then when I was older I thought I would live abroad, not in the UK. I did for a while but family ties always seem to pull you back. So no, my life isn't what I'd envisaged but it's fine. As you grow up you become more pragmatic and realistic and that's ok. I do have a whippet so I've managed a small part of my dream.

TheGrimSmile · 22/12/2025 15:28

What did you want to do, OP?

Roleonspring · 22/12/2025 15:32

Yes and no I wanted to be a mum and a nurse, I got to be both but unfortunately due to ill health had to stop nursing aged 35 and dont feel I'm the mum I was /would want to be. So I did it but couldn't reach my potential.

ChristmasHug · 22/12/2025 15:33

@TheGrimSmile I love this

I don't think I had any aspirarions as a child, every woman I knew was a mother who kept house and sometimes did factory shifts or cleaning when the family needed money.

As a teen I just wanted to earn 'good money', enough to eat M&S ready meals for every meal, so mission accomplished 😂

Wray did you want to be OP? Was it achievable and something stopped you? Or did you want to be wonder woman / a unicorn / the queen?

JulietSierra · 22/12/2025 15:33

I wanted to be a teacher because I thought those huge blue registers were really cooI. I now am a teacher, and for a good few years I did indeed do the big blue register twice a day. We do them online these days unfortunately!

VoltaireMittyDream · 22/12/2025 15:33

I am, sadly, not a palaeontologist. I try not to let it get to me.

Idontknowhatnametochoose · 22/12/2025 15:35

No definitely not.

I became chronically ill in my teens, my only dc is disabled, a few jobs that I was too unwell to continue with, an abusive partner. Nope, my life absolutely did not go to plan.

Ineedanewsofa · 22/12/2025 15:35

Job wise no, life wise generally, yes

Kagoule · 22/12/2025 15:36

No, life has not turned out how I expected but I am happy with how things are.

MadameSzyszkoBohusz · 22/12/2025 15:37

Well, sort off. I knew I wanted to be an actor, and I knew I wanted to get married and have kids. I am an actor, and I am married with kids. But I’m not the successful actor I thought I’d be. I get bits and pieces here and there supplemented by drama teaching and working in a cinema. So I suppose my life is maybe…70% what I wanted it to be.

PinkArt · 22/12/2025 15:37

I wanted to be a fairy. And then I got more practical and settled on being a princess.
Neither had come good yet but I do wear quite a lot of pink and sequins so I think 5 year old me would approve of that nod to my former aspirations.

ClawsandEffect · 22/12/2025 15:38

I did manage to achieve what I wanted, despite not leaving school with the education to enable it. I'm lucky that I enjoy studying because I took it up as an adult, as a bit of a hobby really, so that eventually, I was able to transfer over to do what I wanted.

Everything was a bit derailed when I got cancer, because although I was very very lucky to beat it, my employer no longer saw me as worthy of promotion (had time off for ill health!).

However, the cancer also gave me the impetus I'd also always wanted to do, to work abroad, which I did. And loved and adored! I'd be off again now (despite being old) if I hadn't chosen to stay in the UK because of my grandchildren.

EmbroideredGardener · 22/12/2025 15:38

I would say better. I'm not sure my plan to be an animal trainer, mechanic, doctor and ballerina would have left much time for wordling with dh of an evening!

blankcanvas3 · 22/12/2025 15:38

I wanted to be a doctor but got pregnant at 16 so it didn’t happen. I’m a SAHM now and very happy though

EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 22/12/2025 15:39

Definitely not and looking for ways to change it in 2026

DinoLil · 22/12/2025 15:40

No.

I didn't expect to be divorced twice, have a DC who vanished or to live on my own away from my family. We won't mention disabilities.

In my mind, I was going to be an author, a hippy, have a labrador, masses of DC, live in a cliff top cottage overlooking the sea with a DH who adored me as much I did him.

Nevermind, eh. I have a staffie instead, live in a cottage in a town, have lovely neighbours and I should stop complaining.

RescueMeFromThisSilliness · 22/12/2025 15:42

At one time I wanted to be a circus bareback horse rider, so no.😂

Brightbluesomething · 22/12/2025 15:42

I wanted to be a Barrister. Didn’t happen but the career I fell into is much better suited to my values. I did date a Barrister and whilst gorgeous, he was a complete workaholic. That would have been my life with little time for anything else, so I had a lucky escape.
I definitely didn’t want children. And would never have chosen to be a single mum. But my two DC’s are brilliant and I’m much happier divorced so that’s worked out better too.
From my starting point, there’s a lot to be grateful for.

BradPittsLeftArmpit · 22/12/2025 15:46

Professionally yes. Personally no

NoelEdmondsHairGel · 22/12/2025 15:47

I wanted to be a vet and was told by the miserable old boot of a careers adviser that I didn’t have the academic chops for it. I listened and decided to steer away from all science A levels.

Ended up with all As anyway and a first, and am now a partner in a law firm. Probably worked out better in the long run but I still haven’t forgiven the shortsighted woman who crushed my dreams when I was 14.

Mrscharlieeeee · 22/12/2025 15:48

I wanted to be an Equine vet, so no lol, but I am happy with my lot. Married, 2 kids, wonderful husband and a miniature dachshund (one childhood dream which came true).

CagneyNYPD1 · 22/12/2025 15:51

I wanted to win Wimbledon or work on an off shore oil rig. Neither of those happened. But that’s ok.

Crikeyalmighty · 22/12/2025 15:52

Nope, was never an air stewardess ( in days when it was quite glamorous) or a journalist, but do write a fair bit as part of my job and have travelled a decent amount - I do however know lots of musicians personally who were big names when I was a teen so that balances it out

DarkEyedSailor · 22/12/2025 15:55

No but at all. I wanted to write books and be an archaeologist. I got the degree.
Worked in pubs and nightclubs, met an older man in my 20s who trafficked me, ended up sectioned, then an addict and homeless, worked on the streets; dragged myself back up to living in a council flat.
None of it is what I wanted and it's too late for a lot of things to change. I've got a 7 year old and a job and that's going to have to be enough.

Wallabyone · 22/12/2025 15:59

Haha, I was a very fickle child and then teen, who changed my mind several times. When I was about 9/10, I wrote in my Barbie Annual, ‘When I grow up, I want to be a fashion designer for Kylie Minogue’.

I’m not!

I have ended up where I hoped I would be though-job I mostly love, and a happy family life ❤️