what's your biggest regret in life?

[Anonymous]

i regret having a fear of failure for most of my life; it made me not work hard and avoid risk in high school (and beyond), which set me off the life i thought i would have. i'm getting it back on track, but i would have gone to better schools, met different people, had different opportunities. and i regret not living in NY when i had a chance after college.

[Anonymous]

I regret buying an expensive house that we can't really afford. (bought it pre-crash) I kind of regret sending our kids to private elementary school because we are now having serious financial troubles.

[Anonymous]

Thanks 15:51!
from AMA single TTC'er

[Anonymous]

Not having lived in new York city.

[Anonymous]

Regret #1 = caving and agreeing to move to dc for my husband. I can't help but think that if I'd held out, my husband would have caved and I would not be a slave to my mother in law (and set the tone for my making compromises).

Regret #2 = not taking a year off to travel and teach English before law school. My parents were not supportive of this and I deferred too much to them. Now they will readily say that they wished they hadn't pressured me to go straight to law school and they now realize that their friend's kids who are most satisfied in their careers and successful are not those that scored really high lsats and went straight to grad school, but those that went out and experienced life and took time to find out what they like.

[Anonymous]

Also: regret living in NYC for 8 years and paying rent the whole time. With some help from my parents and more discipline in my spending I could be the owner of a very low mortgage 1 bedroom apt On the upper east side. But alas I passed it up so I could love downtown with my friends and spend money recklessly.

[Anonymous]

Deciding to move to MD away from all my friends and family.

[Anonymous]

I left a job I actually liked because I got "seduced" by the idea of a very glamorous job in private equity. Turns out the job (though a little glamorous) was not a good fit and my contract wasn't renewed less than a year in. then I was unemployed for 6 months, which sucked, and I ended up taking a not-that-great position at a lower salary in a field I don't particularly enjoy. then the economy tanked, so I have been stuck there.

So I regret leaving that job that I liked. It wasn't perfect, but I did like it.

[Anonymous]

I regret buying a home in 2006. Now we are under water despite doing expensive repairs. I regret my credit card debt.
My teenager needs braces and I cannot afford it. I wish there was a way out or a way to earn more money

[Anonymous]

Dating the same person in high school and most of college.

[Anonymous]

I regret not having a third and maybe fourth child. I also regret not having taken a lot more photos of myself when I was younger!

[Anonymous]

My first marriage! Without it though I am not sure I would have met my current dh. I am loving life now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My absolute biggest regret is my total and absolute failure as a mother to my oldest son. I have failed him by all of my standards. I push him too hard. I'm too demanding. I'm too critical. I have continually failed to meet him where his is academically emotionally, physically--his entire life. I regret that he has me for a mother. He deserves a better, kinder, more forgiving, more accepting mother. I am trying every day to be a better mom to him--but every year, as I look back I feel I have gotten worse and worse. He is only 12. I have tried therapy on and off for years. I will again. I am almost wild with grief that there are only 3 weeks left of summer and then we are back to our eternal battle ground issue: school.

This makes me so sad. PP, please don't give up. And quit beating yourself up. Take it one day at a time and take time to stop every day to realize how much you love him and know how much he loves you. You're just not connecting now, for whatever reason, but that can be fixed.

And BTW, I am amazed at how many people here regret law school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dating the same person in high school and most of college.

I married the same person I dated in high school and most of college. no regrets

[Anonymous]

Only one real regret in 45 years: not going abroad to live in another country and learn another language when I had the chance to in college.