To ask what's a small joy of being an adult you didn't expect?

[pandarific]

Not at all to dismiss the hard times being had by people on the companion thread, but so we all don't end up with Monday-itis... what are some small joys you have discovered come with being an adult?

Some of mine are:

• We have a tea cupboard. It is a little skinny cupboard not much good for anything else and houses all teas, coffees, cocoa making things etc. It is organised not by category but by frequency of use, and it gives me a little burst of pleasure every time I open it.
• I worked out why our washer dryer was shrinking and felting everything in sight BY MYSELF, with the manual, determination, and extended experimentation. I was so overjoyed I told our mutual friend who looked at me like ... but I do a lot of laundry.
• Having pets. The picture attached was the morning after an eye watering emergency vet bill... FFS. But look at his little face!
• Haggling - and the satisfaction of a good deal well done. Channelling Del Boy gives me immense joy, especially when the other party is a fellow Del Boy and you can have a bit of fun with it.
• The slow realisation that I can actually make my own decisions without anyone my mother needing to approve. And that I don't need to be a Nice Girl all the time.

Pet ownership, 100%. My mum had asthma so I was never allowed a pet growing up. Nothing beats seeing my puppy wagging his bum and barking when I get home from a shitty day.

My evil fluffball.

being able to get ice cream when the van comes round without asking, and even if i haven’t already had dinner/lunch!

Walking out into the garden on a sunny day and smelling the fresh laundry drying on the line.

See, I had so many more pets as a kid! I went home, and got stuck in feeding the cats, the hens, the lizard, the hedgehog, the fish. But my parents did all the paying (and the cleaning up if one of them did something really grim like empty the kitchen bin all over the floor).

Being able to have sex whenever I like (DP willing, that is).
Being able to have as many dogs as I want.
Being able to drive. I still see the reflection of my car in shop windows and get all chuffed that I'm driving it, after nearly 20 years.

I can spend money on silly things like magazine and sweets

Spending the day in bed

Getting children to do small favors like fetching things, closing doors etc

I still get a thrill from buying a takeaway coffee!

I don't have to wait for someone to decide to take me on a nice outing. I can just go and get in the car and drive somewhere nice like the beach any old time.

If I have a maths problem I can just use a calculator to figure it out, or even better, the internet!

Being able to drive where I want.

Can all of the cats on this thread please tell me HOW they get such wonderfully voluminous hair?

Happens rarely, but if I want to eat cereal or cake for dinner one night, I can

MawkishTwaddle I know, I still can't quite believe that I'm allowed behind the wheel of an actual CAR. That's something that only grown-ups do, surely?

Yes about driving! I sort of thought it would be good when I was growing up, but it's even better. I sometimes get in the car and think "I could drive to Spain if I want!". I never do though.

Still get dreams of being in school - usually don't know which classroom I'm supposed to be in, and have not done any homework all term.

Evil fluffball gets all her luxuriant fur from her pact with Basement Cat.

Other One Fluffball gets HER luxuriant fur from sheer good luck. Honestly, that cat's fur is like silk.

I can stay up all night if I want.

Before boring things like work, jobs, children etc come along, I would usually go to bed at 1-2am and get up at 9-10 am. Even did that for a few years when I had flexi time but had no children.

Other one fluffball being fancy.

Another "yes" to driving over here!! Changed my life!

My other one is making plans without having to ask anyone's permission. I come from a big family so sometimes things could be a logistical nightmare so I needed permission to do anything (which was never withheld unnecessarily)

Now I get a little thrill from making arrangements with someone and just waltzing out the door without telling anyone where I'm going or when I'll be coming back!

Also related to driving - being able to decide when to stop at service stations.

Choosing what’s on tv and getting a takeaway any time! Staying in bed late.

Adult friendships; mature, supportive, hilarious, thought-provoking. I have some adult friends who are amazing and I enjoy spending time with them. This also goes for adult relationships with my siblings. They are people I want to spend time with and when we do, it’s fantastic.

Coffee, especially good coffee, on my own in a nice independent cofffee shop (with cake)

Having 4 DC, it still delights me that there are 4 whole people in the world who can call me Mummy.

Naps just because I feel like it!

Never having to force down food I don't want to eat.

Buying real Coke instead of 19p value Cola.