When you were young..

[Bingiswhiney]

What did you expect your life to be like when you ‘Grew up?’
Has it surpassed your expectations or let you down?

I wanted to be a high flying journalist in Manhattan, living in a spacious apartment near Central Park. I never have much consideration to having a husband or kids.

Now I am happily married with 2 children, working a nondescript but enjoyable office job, living in suburbia in NI.

I did elope in Manhattan though, and frequently go back to visit as I love it there. Definitely wouldn't want to live there though!

The one thing that I am proud of achieving is peace in my home. I grew up in a lot of drama and atmosphere which made me very anxious and a bit of a people pleaser.
Now my home is cosy and serene and my DC don’t know how lucky they are.
I wonder if they’re secretly planning a less boring life as adults

@Itstartedinbarcelona

My best friend and I used to say we’d never get married or have kids, but get good jobs and move to London away from where we grew up and live interesting independent lives. She fulfilled this, until she unfortunately got cancer and died just before Xmas in her early 40s. I however am married with two children and live very near where we grew up. I have a so-so job, with above average pay although nothing like MN levels of pay that is probably the best fit for me but I’d give up in a heartbeat if I could. DS will go to my old secondary school year next year which my young self would have been horrified about. However I love my family and feel genuinely happy and contented with life. I just feel sad I can no longer catch up with BF.

That's so sad about your best friend. Far too young 😔

I do wonder what it would be like to have married a true love

As someone who did that I don’t recommend it. I always had a thing for bad boys and I married one. It was dreadful, one of the stupidest things I ever did - and there are a fair few to choose from.

I now have a marriage like yours and I’m so much happier. True love comes in many guises.

@ChristmasSexyTime Who are you?

I thought I'd be unmarried and travelling the world still searching for my raison d'être. Instead I'm married with 2 DC in a nice house and very happy.

I also thought I'd have a good career and would be setting the world alight in some way. But I had to give up work a few years ago to be a FT carer to DD(19). I doubt I'll ever get back to work now so that sucks.

I never had big dreams or aspirations like many PP had. When I was asked as a child and teen “what do you want to be when you grow up” my answer was always “happy”

I had an awful time at school and while I worked hard and was academic, it screwed my MH and I struggled horribly through my 20’s with GAD and MD.

I did manage to fall into a career I never would have imagined however, that I’m extremely good at and moderately successful in (so much more for me to do!). I’m now doing a degree to further myself in my field and looking forward to the future.

I’m married to a wonderful DH, have one DS and one on the way in April.

I’m very happy to have been able to have a lot of therapy over the years and have worked extremely hard on my mental health which I now manage very well.

So I would say I achieved my dream of being happy 😃

I thought I’d be very rich and possibly prime minister!

I do work in a job I’d wanted since I was quite young (not prime minister!) but generally have a fairly modest life.

I wanted to be a nurse, get married and have children and live in a nice house.
Got the nurse and nice house bit, but not the other two.

@Laiste

To do with growing up - I can clearly remember being about 11/12 (in the 80s) and working out how old i'd be when the year 2000 came.

I turned to my friend and said god i'll be so old by the year 2000 - honestly i hope i'm DEAD actually ...

Idiotic me

Me too ! At primary school we were asked to work out our age at the year 2000 which, in my case, was 37. I was devastated because I would be far too old to enjoy myself and party. I would be at home in slippers . In fact new year's eve 1999 was spent partying in Sydney.

I never aspired to anything, when I left school you either worked in an office or a factory! I did the office for all my working life. Never had a life plan, its all been very boring actually, safe, but boring

I wanted to be like my (grown up friend) Nicola who was a part time teacher, had a lovely husband who had a boring job at the council and liked cake, had two beautiful children, lived just up the road from her mum and lived in a modest but lovely 1930's semi. I am a part time teacher, have a husband with a boring job who likes cake, have two beautiful children, live in a modest but lovely victorian semi but am hours away from my Mum. So I got more or less what I wanted, but wonder if I might not have set hugely high expectations for myself! Nicola's children however have been wildly successful, so I shall focus my energies on mine becoming the same!

I wanted a nicer house than I grew up in, a decent career and maybe a partner. Well, I got all of those plus 2 DC’s. The strange thing is that when I was working Saturday and evening jobs only (1980’s, doing A levels) I was probably earning the equivalent of what I’m on now, but pro-rata... whilst I’m a higher tax payer (just) I do feel that a little money went much further in the 80’s

I wanted to be a vet first, then I wanted to be a singer/songwriter and live in Australia. Thought I'd end up married to a lawyer and have 3 kids.

Went to music college, worked in the music industry and hated it so had to change my focus. Travelled the world and loved it and ended up living in the Caribbean instead of Australia.

My life has turned out amazingly, have a beautiful home, married an engineer and have 2 kids and have a career in law that has far surpassed my expectations. I sing in a band and perform in NYC.

I expected my life to be excellent and it absolutely is and continues to get better and better.

@Bingiswhiney

I can't say but I'm definitely not Holly Willoughby (as has been guessed before on MN) 😂

I thought I’d have a glamorous, important, jet setting job, live in a stunning house in London, be rather rich and have a really cool social life!

I’m a part time teacher (I would argue it’s an important job out of those three!), live in a fairly standard three bed semi in my hometown in dire need of renovation with my lovely husband and kids. We are certainly NOT rich! I did live in London a bit though and had a very fun social life - the height of my social life currently is furtively meeting a friend on a secluded field with our kids so we can natter while they play!

I’m pretty happy with how my life turned out - when I had something close to what I imagined when I was younger (living in a fun city, doing cool stuff, crazily busy social life) it was fun but unsatisfying. I feel a lot happier in myself and settled nowadays!

@ChristmasSexyTime Did you used to be a teacher?

My original dream life was what was expected of me- uni, well paid job, boring traditional husband, babies, house near friends and family.

I left college and home at 18 and met DH (A very untraditional tattoo artist viking). We live in a lovely house in the countryside with our 2 cats. I'm a housewife with no intention of having babies and I'm NC with my family. Couldn't be happier.

@Madtimes78 sort of. But not in a school. I taught in another environment before I got completely distracted by an unexpected opportunity. Hated it actually and was glad of the career change.

Just to add, not that there's anything wrong with teaching. Teachers are amazing, it just wasn't something that I loved. Takes a special sort of person, I.e. Not me.

I wanted a successful career, husband, loads of kids and a big house.
I've got 2 kids, a house I love (not necessarily big though), a brilliant husband but a disappointing career. I still dream of having a more successful career...