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.

Oh yeah I get to have a kid of my own too! Playing with a real child and giving them baths, buying them cute clothes, teaching them new things is way more fun than with a doll

Being able to put things down in my bedroom and not have them pinched or broken by my youngest sibling.

Living in a tidyish house where you don't have to wash up a load of last night's pots just to get a cup of tea.

I would say not having to watch shite films on TV but dh likes them so I'm still occasionally subjected to them.

Not having to watch Emmerdale, Coronation Street or Eastenders at all, ever.

Driving for me too because I can leave whenever I want to.

I hated being bored at parties but my parents insisting we stayed a bit longer (hours, usually)

Mine is a funny one, being able to point out that Goth wasn't just a phase and that 16 years later I'm still rocking it, and I can now afford the clothes I always wanted to wear when I was younger.
Being able to take myself off to places whenever I want to (funds permitting.)
That I can do what I like (within reason) and I don't care what people think of me.

Gin

I like choosing my own holidays exactly as I like! This is also a pleasure since divorce.

Also being friends with who i want.

Being able to have chickens in my back garden, and a tortoise. Because I've wanted them for as I can remember

And not being forced to 'clear my plate', including eating beef that's as tough as boot leather because it's been cooked for 79 hours and it's all dried out

@WellTidy I'm allergic to cat hair, but that hasn't stopped me owning one! My allergies actually subside when I spend more time around cats –perhaps that's true of your husband, too? I vaguely remember reading somewhere that your body stops reacting to the allergen as a threat (disclaimer: this could be bullshit but it's definitely true for me!). Re dogs, I think people are actually to the dander on their skin rather than their hair, so you can test him out around specific dogs if you wanted to (i.e. at a rescue place). Owning pets is a wonderful joy!

Leaving any food or drink, wherever I am, if I don't want any more.

And never, ever, ever having to sit through a Physics/Biology/Chemistry lesson again.

Having a duvet day whenever I want.

Actually, pretty much all I really dislike about being an adult is having to think what to make for dinner every night. Left to my own devices I'd probably live off various snacks, but the DC need Healthy Food.

Being able to take decent painkillers for period pain

Skipping meals when I'm really not hungry (and snacking when I am)
Not eating tiny portions of things and being able to go back for seconds
Eating whole tubs of ice cream with a spoon straight from the tub

Before I had DCs- lie ins and late nights.

Being able to get things done when I can't sleep. I used to waste so many hours just staring at the ceiling, now I spend that time getting shit done. If I really can't sleep, what's the point in wasting that time?

Interiors! Decorating/making my home beautiful and comfortable is such a joy. I get a warm feeling whenever I sit on the sofa and look around. I appreciate my little flat so much.

Spending money on 'essentials' (toothpaste, muesli, whatever) for no other reason than it's sometimes NICER not to buy the mega budget option and that's OK.

Also yes yes yes to animals. Lovely animals.

Being able to afford as much pick n mix as I like.

Not having to eat wholewheat spaghetti and watery bolognese.

Food when I was a kid was nutritionally excellent and always competently cooked. It was sometimes excellent but often a bit joyless.

I love being an adult.

No more school. No horrible uniform. No homework. Nobody shouting at me and acting as if what I need is to be tightly controlled - and worse, saying that I, and everyone like me, somehow secretly likes and craves this. I still have the school dreams on occasion too. They're awful. No job I've ever had as an adult has been worse than school.

Eating what I want when I want. Being able to try new foods without worrying that someone will be angry if I dislike them (I'm still a picky eater because of sensory issues, but this has helped immensely). Having my own money and not having to ask someone else when I need anything, and get their approval to buy it. Being able to decide when I want to leave a shop/activity/visit to someone's house instead of having to follow someone else's schedule and get completely overwhelmed.

Actually enjoying my life and feeling good about myself.

Agreed with others - it is wonderful not to be surrounded by people who don't like you and who don't know you but who are sure that they know everything about you - begs the question that if I'm the most interesting thing in your life, your life MUST be BORING!

Not having my space taken over by dm storing her stuff there. If I want an empty drawer or cupboard I can have one.

Being able to choose what food to buy, Not being begged to eat something I cannot stand. Knowing I have an eating disorder without people just saying I'm fussy.

Choosing what to wear, what to listen to, how to arrange things without others commenting.

Not being kicked out of my room for someone else to stay in it.

Not having to babysit siblings.

I can bring my children up how I want and nobody can tell me to do it differently.

My absolute favourite thing is actually being allowed to be a picky eater. In being able to pick and choose what I eat and when, I’ve become LESS picky and rather adventurous. None of this clear the plate BS anymore for me (or my DC, I get to make the rules!!).

Oh yes. And not being bullied. That’s nice.

Like others have said – freedom to make your own choices, run your home how you please. Eat/cook what you like for yourself and your household, do your own routine, sleep in late (if able to!). Also yes never having to do cross country in subzero temperatures, do homework or go to bed when someone else tells you.

I remember a few years ago I was queuing in Tesco with a big bag of mini eggs. A little boy in front of me gazed at them longingly, turned to his mum and asked if he could have mini eggs too but she said no. He frowned and said he couldn’t wait until he a was a grown up and could have mini eggs whenever he wants!!

I must admit I did think ‘yep, it’s pretty good kid!!’.

I eat what I want, when I want

My favourite thing about being a grown up is getting more confident in myself. In my late teens early 20s I was shy and quiet.

I also love driving.

Also, buying grapes. They were such a special food when were little. We would get them maybe twice a year, they were expensive and we were poor. Nowadays I still think they’re expensive but I but them every now and then and an always slightly suprised no one is shocked that I am buying them. I want to should “LOOK GRAPES!! SEEDLESS BLOODY GRAPES”

Yes, to grapes. Not having to live with a bullying father, and hyper-critical parents. Not having to be bullied and occasionally abused by school teachers. Yes, they got away with in the 70's. I still have problems with school teachers now, and its rare that I actually like one. I like having my house as I want it (complete with Shrine to Bad Taste in my downstairs loo) and some quirky artwork/ornaments. And nice coffee, made in a grind andd brew machine.

I can get round to doing things in my own damn time (eyes Christmas tree I only took down today) and I can read til the early hours if I want to

Although I wish I still had a uniform, sick of having to try and look good at work when I'm on a third of the average salary in my office 🙄🙄🙄