Parents: if you had one day of your pre children life back, how would you spend it? Please keep it lighthearted

Me too! 😄

Mine are older and I don't miss it one tiny bit, fyi.

Meanwhile.. it was a very well written post and really hit the nail on the head for me when it comes to my most recent experience of becoming a parent.

Anyway , what I would do with my day would be , to be in the Mediterranean, on a sun lounger, on a nice beach, waves lapping at my feet, ice cold drink , very good book.. a bit of swimming and sunbathing, then an evening dinner of fresh fish somewhere by the sea, home for a movie and a long long nights sleep, and a lie in.

absolute bliss :)

we had our first at 18 so never really got to have an adult life. Now they’re 10,13 and 17 and we suddenly feel free and have to remind ourselves that we’re still parents.
honestly the time goes by SOOOO fast and before you know it you’ll miss some of the hecticness of having little ones.

The thing is I appreciate that OP probably didn't mean anything by it, but there has been a lot of threads about the childfree recently, so it does bother me. Imagine if I started a thread saying 'having kids is wasted on parents' and then detailed how I wouldn't ever moan, or feel frustrated or tired, I'd just enjoy every blissful minute of child rearing? There would quite rightly be a pile on, because that's a load of shit and life is more complex than that.

I would go for a very long run. Then come home and have a bath and read a book.

And actually, I would crack on with the tax return… sets reminder

@Catchasingmewithspiders that was my thread!

I gave up responding on it as so many people ignored my actual responses and continued to insist that I should at least sometimes babysit, regardless of everything else I did for friend.

I don't want to babysit, hence not having children. No thank you, I don't wish to touch poo or snot or vomit.

Many posters conveniently ignored the fact that my friend is wealthy, can afford a nanny or babysitter, and that I'd done all manner of other things to help her.

Today I've had 12 baths, written 3 novels, mastered the oboe and the double bass and done all 3 peaks. Twice.

I have kids and I don’t want to deal with another child’s poo or snot or vomit

having children of your own often makes you dislike others. Possibly more that someone who doesn’t have them 😂

Slacking a bit there, Joris

Being childfree wasn't wasted on me. I relished every lay in, every night out drinking and dancing until 4am and I did it while working a job I loved that took me round the world. That's why I never wanted kids until suddenly I did, because I was having way too much fun and forging a career for myself. These days I'd use a spare afternoon to finally finish the book I started reading on Boxing Day.

I had a lie in and and a few breakfasts then a nap 😬

I would fall peacefully asleep next to a swimming pool , fast flowing river or some other hideous child-danger to make full use of not being responsible for keeping somebody else alive.

I've thought about this op. Generally, if I get a child free day I sit in bed reading and napping. Mostly because as an autistic woman, I need alone quiet time.

Dh and I didn't do a massive amount of travel and eating out etc pre kids because we were young and didn't earn that much. Fast forward 15 years and we are now out of the young kid trenches, earning triple what we did pre kids and we have more flexibility with our work. We're enjoying taking them on European city breaks and further afield. All the places we've always wanted to go. The kids sort themselves out in the mornings and we have lie-ins.... it took a good while and gritted teeth to get to this point though.

If its one day I would wonder around aimlessly and see where it would take me stop off for lunch somewhere. And then carry on with my walk.

Or go for a hike/ramble around the coast.

If its a child free week I would go on holiday.

This is kind of lighthearted but also serious…We’d go on a MASSIVE night out 🥴, without worrying about being hungover the next day. Spend the next day in bed all day watching crap TV and then order a huge takeaway in the evening. This is the part of our lives I miss most from before kids.

Another nasty person. Simply proving my point.

We'd lay in bed and wake up in our own time, then have a wonderful lazy morning shag, oh how I miss those! We'd then just have a day of pure laziness, I could get ready in peace, a long hot shower no one walking in asking me where things were or using the loo. We could just exit the house like normal people instead of the ordeal we normally have. Joy. Then we'd have a nice meal at a nice restaurant (which doesn't welcome kids), not clock watching, not messaging if they "settled ok/were asleep". We could have a drink and relax and not have to agree to get the kids by x time the next day. We may even fit in another shag in before bed 🤭🤣 just like old times! I miss weekend days like these, we definitely didn't appreciate them enough at the time! (We aren't lazy blobs we were actually vv into running and marathons pre kids, we just have 3 young kids and haven't slept for several years. Sex and sleep is what we miss 😆. We can go for a run or a lovely hike another day lol)

Christ. Now the childfree can’t even dislike children as much as parents do 😂😂😂😂

It's not wasted I chose not to have children. Don't blame me for your choices. Your thread title is crap.

And your reply is so thoughtful, measured and kind………

Good one 🙄