The best days of your life..

[Sundancer77]

Feeling thoughtful, with it being New year. Have a beautiful baby girl I adore and although it’s exhausting and hard at times, she means the world to us. When I had her, my Mum said ‘These will be the best days of your life, they’re about to begin’
When were the best days of your life (thus far?) as although I love my life in lots of ways..when I really think about it, I think of them as being when I was young and carefree and times were exciting..were they as soon as you had children? (For those who have children)

My best days are now!

No DC, (not by choice) but I live a good life, financially secure, lots of free time for all my hobbies, looking forward to moving to a much nicer area, lovely DH and I'm fitter and slimmer than I've ever been.

As our fertility treatment didn't work, I'm looking to get an MA and re-train to start a new career, finally write a book that's been on my mind for a few years and I want to run a half marathon in 2020.

Things haven't worked out like I thought, or hoped, but I try to appreciate everything I do have and keep moving forward :)

My best days are now. I'm 29, have a 6yo DS, about to buy our own house.

I had DS at 22. I was stuck in a rut with life, in an unhappy relationship with DS's dad. Low paid job.

Having DS motivated me to change things. The baby and toddler years were very hard. I spent a bit of time on benefits.

Split up with DS's dad. He's not a bad person, we just got together too young and did too much too fast. We co parent together well and are good friends.

I am still in a fairly low paid job but have the chance to progress at my workplace. DS's dad is on a good salary and ensures we are taken care of financially.

I am a lot more comfortable with myself as a person than I was in my teens and early 20s. I enjoy life a lot more than I did back then, even though I had no responsibilities.

I don’t know about best days, but I know these are the days I’ll miss the most once they’re gone. While it’s very hard at times, I am the most needed and the most physically loved I have ever been and am ever likely to be again; nothing like smoochy toddler kisses and snuggling up with them in my arms at bedtime

It's a hard question to answer. I didn't have a good childhood. College and early uni I was in an abusive relationship. Then I entered 3 years of mental health hell and barely made it out alive. Next few years were slogging to get qualified and get a good job but I was drinking too much and wasn't settled. Then my DH get really ill so the next two years were coping with that. God, then the last 3 years have been incredibly hard coping with ivf and court cases and managing my health and trying to get a more stable career.
I don't know. There are brilliant days, but I couldn't pick a best year.

Being a parent is such an up-and-down experience. I would say I've had amazing highs and real lows. Does that make these times the best days of my life??

Last night I had DS(6) having real Mummy snuggles on the sofa and remember distinctly thinking I was in absolute heaven and never wanted it to end. I adore my kid. He's bloody awesome. However, same child booted me in the shins and was a screaming banshee earlier in the day because he didn't want me to put his eczema cream on. And he woke up at 3am, was chatting to himself about buses AND WOULD NOT FUCKING GO BACK TO SLEEP

Would I go back to a child-free life? Absolutely not. Am I always in raptures about the wonders of child rearing? Not when I'm listening to a 6 year old talking about bus routes at 3am in the morning....

Now, I think. I’m 54 (but don’t feel it) no children (by choice)

We moved from the uk 17 years ago, and although nowhere is perfect, we’re happy here. I do a lot for animal rescue charities (bottle feeding several litters of pups and kittens each year) which is heartbreaking but also satisfying and joyful.

I’m disabled with very restrictive mobility problems, but fortunate to be financially comfortable so I’m basically retired and have time to pursue hobbies, as I don’t often leave the house. Luckily I’m quite happy with my own company and that of my (many) animals

I’ve been happily married for over 30 years and my husband is very supportive of my disability and does all the shopping, most of the cooking, equal amounts of housework/laundry

I don't think I've had the best days of my life yet. From the age of 8 to 14 I was periodically bullied to the point I was suicidle. Then for the next 4 years I spent as a rebel teen, drinking my life away, doing things I wasn't comfortable with to fit in. Sexually assaulted a few times and pregnant at 18.
Now have 2 kids a full time job working from home. I'm a very confident person but life is quite stressful.
I spent too much of my life worrying. I'll be 30 soon and feel like I've wasted it.

I think all different stages have their good bits (and some bad bits)
I didn't have a happy childhood home so don't remember my younger years fondly but since I moved out each stage has been great in its own way - the freedom of university, getting a job and flat in London in my 20s, working hard to build a career and going off travelling with my partner and now in my 30s having DD, a bit of a quieter time worksite and being more home focused. They're all the best days in different ways!

*workwise

I'm not sure. In my late teens was when I had the most money, was at my thinnest and fittest but not much freedom. At university I probably had the most freedom and less money but still a lot more than I do now. When dc1 was a baby I had less freedom (but still more than now), hardly any money, postnatal depression and I was a bit overweight. Now I have dc's aged between 5 and 13 I have a bit more freedom, hardly any money and I'm very overweight/unfit. Really want to shift at least some of the extra weight this year. I'm enjoying having slightly older children and I love watching them do their hobbies, watching them in school concerts/plays and taking them out places. I got a national trust membership for Christmas so hopefully that will mean a lot of cheap days out this year.

I’m sure I read somewhere that people are at their happiest in their early 20s and then again in their late 50s & 60s.

The 40s suck. Work is a drag, you are likely to have some form of caring responsibilities.

I think mine were just after uni, in my first job

My love life was never brilliant , always falling in love with people who didn't love me as much as I loved them , and then finally settled which has caused me to feel low despite marriage and kids because I know what real love feels like

I think as you get older you appreciate work more, I'm back full time now, I'm 45 , in 20 years I'll retire and can now see that as people live longer when I retire I'll miss work

I can't think of a time I truly loved parenting, I could easily have not had children but at the time I felt getting married and having 2.4 children was the goal

Now i see childless unmarried couples and wish I hadn't just followed the mould I thought I should

I feel like I'm having my best days. My toddler is nearly 2 and an absolute joy (when not throwing food etc). I cuddle up to her on the couch every morning and my heart could just burst with love for her.

I was a bit of a shy awkward kid, overweight for most of my 20s and really struggled to find love until my mid 30s so I spent my early 30s a bit sad that everyone was settling down and having a family when I was so ready to do the same.

So having my beautiful DD, lovely DH, stable job, our own house, I'm slim - I appreciate all of those things every day. Didnt love the lack of sleep in the first year though!

I loved being young and free at 17.
I loved my 30s when I was a mum to under 10s (before I went back to work)
My 40s (managing a stressed partner, teenage children, sick parents AND a job) have felt pretty hard work at times, even though we have more money than we used to.

Childhood, and teens when I was at home with Mum & Dad. Had lots of freedom to come and go and lots of friends with not a care in the world.

The only other time I felt carefree was when I had my first DC . I stopped work for a while to look after the baby and again had the freedom to do as I wanted with the day (all baby related that time). I loved it.

University and early work years were difficult but going back to work whilst caring for young children were the absolute worst years of my life.
I was overtired, stressed and anxious. I went PT and it eased the pressure a bit but not a lot.

I'd say my best time was between age 20 and 30. I was earning good money, having great holidays and was having lots of fun.

Now in my 40s, married with 2 children (one with SEN) life is still good but obviously not in the fun, no ties way it once was.

I wouldn't change things but having kids is hard work IMO.

Honestly yes, having children has changed my life more than I could have imagined and I'd say these are now the best. But I know people that say differently too

When I was a single teenage and early 20's parent on benefits - was absolutely the best time of my life.

I had my own home - it was not much but it was a happy loved filled environment. I did not have much money but enough to eat and heat the house and lots and lots of time with my children, to read books, walk in the countryside. I was an environmental and animal rights campaigner and had motivation and life was just great.

Once my kids were at school I went and got the qualifications I did not get at school and went to university and loved studying and learning all the new things. and ultimately strived and worked hard to get a great 70K a year job. - It was the most vacuous empty life I could imagine.

I have worked since and paid back the benefits I received 20x's over but have hated every single minute of every single day I have spent working.

I decided to semi retire at 45 - dropped down to working PT from home on a 1/4 of the salary and feel I now have a balance of time/money. But cannot wait to retire and no longer have to work.

No one can tell you when the ‘best days of your life’ are, OP, and other people’s ideas on the subject often seem absolutely bizarre, even if they’re clearly sincere. I remember adults telling me with obvious sincerity that my schooldays were the best days of my life, when even aged fifteen I could see that if wearing a gabardine uniform, smoking in the bike shed and cramming for exams in a series of grim convent classrooms was your life’s peak, then there was something seriously wrong with the way you were doing adulthood.

@feigningHorror 😂Schooldays WERE great days 👏
Enjoying reading these.

Now. Living very happily in a beautiful house/location with just my dp, financially sorted, full social life, only work part time, lots of free time for us and hobbies. Take lots of holidays and have our own holiday cottage in a lovely place. Our children are all independent but we see them regularly.

My teenage years were my best years.

For me, the best time was either when I wasn't uni or doing my A levels at a sixth form college.

Whilst I enjoyed having young children, it was also bloody hard, and I wouldn't want to repeat that stage.

I have teens now, and I'm loving this stage. Have rebuilt my social life with a great group of friends, have the freedom to go and do as I please and recently went part time at work so am starting my doctorate too. I'm in my forties, so life is good atm.

That should be "was at uni". Sorry, the app was playing up and I couldn't see the top line.