To ask what your biggest regret is?

[healthyobsessions]

As the title says really..... sometimes find myself racked with guilt for past mistakes so it would be comforting to know I'm not alone.....

Not having my teeth fluoride coated as a child. I wish I coiuld go back in time and give my mum the money to do it, and give myself an electric toothbrush. I have suffered years of dental pain.

I regret:

Not pursuing singing lessons further (put off by respected ex professional teacher turning the conversations to how many times I had sex with my boyfriend and the effects of sex on the vocals. I was 19. He was in his 60s and a member of the church choir. I just never went back. But I was good and I could have been better if I hadn't let that put me off)

Being six and being befriended by an older girl at primary school. She clearly wanted to mother me and she went about it in a fairly heavy handed way saying I had to play with her every break time. I didn't know how to explain this so when my parents found me upset after a school day I said she had hit me. She got in a lot of trouble at school and all because I couldn't articulate what the problem was.

Finally I regret close to twenty years of dieting with only one significant weight loss to show for it. It's always on my mind and I don't understand why I can't do it.

That's not a bad list over my life time though and generally I agree with a PP that the choices I've made have brought me the life I have today, which is pretty lovely, happy with DC and DH, nice part time job and roof over our heads, good friends and enough money to get by. So I can't regret much really.

Getting fat. I lost 30lbs 15 years ago getting down to 140lbs and I wish I had worked hard to stay at that weight. Instead my weight has fluctuated and I've joined and left WW a dozen times and now I weigh about 230lbs.

I regret doing A level French. I was rubbish at it, and should never have taken it. Wish I'd gone with my instincts and done Sociology instead

Mine is similar - I wish I had done GCSE Latin instead of Music, I had to choose between the two as they were in the same option block. I didn't get on with one of the two music teachers, I did get on with the Latin teacher. Stupid stupid stupid.

But other than that I don't really regret anything. I did leave one job and went to another which was a mistake but if I had not done the mistake job I would not be in the job I am in now. Maybe I'd be in a better job, maybe I wouldn't. But I don't think I'd necessarily do anything differently.

onemorecupofcoffeefortheroad -

mermaidtears -

for all of you who still carry the emotions and guilt of PND, I've been there myself but as someone else has said, it shows how resilient we are and how strong we are.... our DC won't remember any of those times, they will remember all the fun times and fun things we did with them as they grew older

I regret so much:

• deciding my boyfriend of six weeks was the love of my life at 18 and dropping out of uni to be with him
• leaving a perfectly good relationship because I wondered what it would be like to be single and breaking my ex's heart. I regretted it almost instantly and think it was the worst thing I have ever done

I think people who say things like "I only regret what I haven't done" have never really fucked anything up.

I also struggle hugely with leaving the past behind.

Not going into see my Dsis when I dropped other Dsis off on a Monday. If I had done I would have been able to put her straight in the car and take her to a and e. I would still have both my sisters if I'd done that.

gingernaut - honestly, you sound as though you have made the best out of all of your situations and should be so proud of yourself, especially coming from a difficult childhood...

heron98 - I also struggle to leave the past behind

Having a second child.
Getting married in church.
Standing for elected office.

Allowing myself to be pressured into a termination

uhhohhh -

Not telling my friend's parents that he'd attempted suicide (a few months before he told me). He tried again and succeeded

It took me years and years to forgive my stupid teenage self for thinking that me crying down the phone making him promise never to do it again would be sufficient.

Working far too hard when heavily pregnant with DC1. I'll never know for sure if the stress contributed to her being born premature (and related ongoing health issues) but I'll always wonder. Should have put my foot down with work.

Marrying my exH at 21 years old. I got my DS out of it so I would never take it back but I really wish I hadn't got married so young. Stupid and naive.

Not going to university when I was younger.

I regret losing a friendship. She was my only ever "best friend" but she became very angry when I briefly dated some one who, it later transpired, had been shagging a mutual friend simultaneously. Not really anyone's fault, but she did offer me a chance to rekindlenthe friendship a year or so later (fella long forgotten) and i was too proud to. I still miss her ten years on.