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.

I still get a little thrill occasionally when I get in my car and realise - I could go ANYWHERE. Nobody is allowed to tell me I can't just drive to the seaside or go shopping or just mooch about listening to my podcasts, I don't have to ask anybody's permission. It's always a nice feeling.

Probably the greatest revelation as an adult was being able to pick my own furniture and home decor and fill the house with pets (I may have gone a little ott on this and find myself with five cats, three dogs and a bearded dragon Luckily my husband is willing to tolerate my obsession!) My parents were very conservative with home decor and animals and I have heavily overcompensated as an adult—my house is a little wild!

Driving! I love driving and I can go where and when I want to

Never having my nose held closed and being forced to eat overcooked, oversalted, soggy, cold, rank vegetables.

Being able to cook vegetables as I like them - warm but still crunchy and flavoursome.

Going to bed when I want, whether that's early or late.

Eating chocolate whenever I want (though this has backfired on me somewhat because I am now 2st overweight).

A decent cup of tea made in my huuuuge teapot.

Oh, what a lovely thread. A tea cupboard sounds wonderful.

I love being able to have a house that's clean and cozy. God love my parents, but their house is utterly filthy - the sort of place where your feet stick to unmentionable pools of gunk on the kitchen floor, everything is dusty, all the soft furnishings need a good wash and all the cups are chipped. I cannot stress how much I love walking into a room I painted, with surfaces I've cleaned and polished, and snuggling up in a clean throw with tea in a pretty cup. And knowing it will all stay that way!

When I was a child I had no idea it was possible.

I also love, much more than I expected, having a toddler and being able to say, ok toddler, you and I shall eat cake for breakfast, and then we shall go and get muddy in the garden and stamp in all the puddles, and then we shall curl up together and watch an episode of Masterchef, and no one shall stop us. It's great.

Having my very own garden

I love being an adult, you couldn't pay me to be a kid again. Best bits of adulting....

Nice sheets and duvet covers, washed and fresh as often as I like.

I can have whatever pets I want. SO I have tortoises, chinese crested dogs and a litter of puppies to snuggle. And maybe soon an african pygmy hedgehog or two.

I can decorate my house exactly as I want, and wear what I want, and get tattooed wherever I want. I love bright colours to bits. And I regret nothing in my choices!

So many. I had a very happy childhood but no wish to go back.

The freedom is the greatest thing, despite many responsibilities, the freedom is wonderful. The freedom of thought is the best thing.

I agree with whoever said adult friendships. I cherish these.

Being able to not be bothered about the things my parents were bothered about.

Having actual experiences to talk about rather than the bloody endless daydreaming I did as a child.

Never having my nose held closed and being forced to eat overcooked, oversalted, soggy, cold, rank vegetables.

This is so sad

My girls' bedrooms. Took us a while to have DD1 and every time I walk into their rooms it makes me so happy.

When I was younger, I thought it would be amazing to be grown up with my own place, as then I could have pets. My mum was always terrified of anything on four legs, so we didn't have my much coveted cat or dog (preferably dog).

Now that I am an adult, I have a DH who is allergic to pet hair, and jobs that take us out of the home for more hours than it would be fair to a dog. So I still don't have one.

I absolutely love watching what I want to watch on TV (watched the whole second series of Consumed on Netflix this weekend, the irony of watching other families tidy their homes whilst I sit on my sofa is not lost on me), I can eat pudding as my main should I wish to, but my biggest one is never having to do an exam again in my life. I sat my last exam when I was 25 and I am never ever ever doing one again. Ever.

I was going to say deciding my own bedtime. However, I'm very bad at that and constantly tired so if an adult could send me to bed at a reasonable time that would be great

Stopping at mcds for a quick burger not having to "wait til were home there is food there"

Choosing who I spend time with is the biggie. Don't need to spend time with people who aren't nice like if you're stuck in a class with a mean child or with relatives who are negative and small-minded. No need to make a stand or be rude, I just don't have to spend time with these people and can fill my life with people I choose.

Best bits of being an adult for me are not having to go hungry any more. Not having to wear clothes that made other kids make fun of me. Being able to buy the things I'd have loved to have as a kid, like nice art materials, that I never got back then. Actually less worries than I had back then. My childhood was not carefree. I try to make my adulthood as carefree as I possibly can!

Yes to making my own decisions. I still feel about 10 with my parents. Although they are lovely.

Having a huge Ben and Jerry's at the cinema and no one saying you can't!

Having cats and managing their medical conditions my self. That feels weird!

Hotel mini bars, room service and laundry are a choice not out of bounds.... mind you since dc mini bar is off limits £££ was nice while it lasted... turning into my parents!

Being able to fart when I want at home and not having to apologize or blame the dog.

Coffee, wine, agency over my life, my delicious children

Not having to live with my parents , although they're not bad at all, but I love having my own place and being able to go home whenever I want. I didn't really like being a kid tbh, I longed to be an adult and be mistress of my own life, so I think I'd have to say that I like absolutely everything about being an adult!

I’m reading this after calling my dad and asking for money 🙈 (haven’t done it for ages and realised how much I missed the bank of dad!)

I can’t relate to a lot of these- as a parent of young kids, with a tiring job, I have to give myself a bedtime!

I have to watch what I eat now, as the pizza, crisps and fizzy pop had no effect on the size of my muffin top as a kid, but certainly does now! I have to eat proper meals now, to model to my fussy eaters, when I just want coco pops.

Having money to buy new bras and nickers whenever I want. Buying shoes because I want them not because I need them. Buying brand name Diet Coke. Buying nice stationery for work. Knowing what makeup suits my skin and buying nice things from boots.

the unexpected joy of buying matching tea towels and oven gloves.

YES YES YES

Not having to do things I don't want to do if I don't have to.

Being able to decide who I spend time with.

Having no my own house. It takes time and is a Pita but is so ice to only have to share with DH and the DCs.

Having a garden.

You couldn't pay me to be a child again !

Lovely thread!

'Choosing who I spend time with is the biggie. '

Yes x 10000 to this. Sharing my home with someone I actually want to love with (my DP), choosing my own friends, making my own mind up about people and not being a people pleaser anymore

No more PE classes ever again, and I say that as someone who has grown to really love exercise as an adult, because I get to do it on my own terms

Choosing my own clothes, both what to buy and what to wear every day

Driving- I'm learning and am still at the stage of crapping myself a lot, but I look forward to the day when it feels relaxed and fun

YourEggnogIsBetterThanMine
Never having my nose held closed and being forced to eat overcooked, oversalted, soggy, cold, rank vegetables.
This is so sad
It was one of the things that came up when I had therapy for depression after my youngest was born and I hadn't realised how much it upset me, along with a couple of other things from my childhood.

I vowed as a 6 year old to never, ever force my children to eat and I've stuck to it. They're actually very good eaters and ate happy to at least try most things, even if they're not sure, so one of the biggest pleasures I get as an adult is watching my children happily eat the meals that dh & I have prepared for them (although I absolutely hate cooking).