I had a child in my mid-twenties so I’d have some time to do what I wanted after she left home. The care-free life of travel and fun is just around the bend for me.

This is interesting. I didn't marry young (or at all), had a baby on my own at 37, had finished residency and had been an MD for a few years so I had some resources. Twenties and 30's were awesome but I still feel a real sense of optimism and excited for what lies ahead. I took 7 yo DD to Europe this summer and it was amazing. I started dating again so that's been fun. I'm not as skinny as I was in my 20's but now I have muscle which I like better.

I think the biggest determinant that I see in my job re: outlook on life is health, but it varies by gender. Healthy men are generally pretty happy. Healthy women...well, so many are taking care of other people that they almost can't see themselves at all, which I can understand.

I used to feel wistful about deciding not to marry, but that's faded, and DD seems to be an emotionally healthy kid (which is my real litmus test).

I guess tl;dr is ladies...focus on yourselves a bit more. It's really ok.

It was a great time! My career started, I had plenty of money, dated a lot, partied a lot....it was all great fun. But then I moved on to a different phase that might not have been as much fun but is more rewarding- being a spouse and a parent. The only things I really miss from my early 20’s is my bikini body and my non-monogamous life style. But I have my memories!

One of the hallmarks if being old is yapping about being old. Don’t do it, and you won’t feel as old!

I miss my joints not hurting, but I don’t miss many other things.

I miss being fun and carefree and being able to travel or go anywhere without having a ton of moving parts. BUT I'm happy now too in a different way.

I have started to worry though about aging. Not wrinkles and gray hair, but not being able to do little things like tweezing my own eyebrows or really mundane stuff like that.

I definitely think this thinking is more associated with women.

Anonymous wrote:I don't miss being young. My early 20s were unremarkable. Academic grind, working hard, I don't recall it being amazingly special or fun. I'm 40 and I have more money and do more things now than I did when I was 25. I do also have more responsibilities and perhaps that is what you might be feeling?

As long as I am healthy and fit I will never have reasons to envy the young 20-somethings. And, frankly, I'm healthier than many 20 somethings I see.

Same here. 52 and divorced and life has never been better. Healthy. Decent money. It’s so much better.

Anonymous wrote:44 woman here- I decided not to get married or have kids, because I didn’t want to grow up. 100+ countries later, I’m glad I chose this path. Lots of people used to feel sorry for me ‘poor lonely spinster’, but I didn’t feel sorry for myself and have enjoyed my life. I think not settling down has kept my young. Sometimes I wonder if I missed out on something, but the majority of the time I’m happy I chose a selfish life.

This sounds awesome. And BTW, you didn’t miss much by not getting married. For most people, it is not all that it is cracked up to be.

I miss not being invisible.

Curious if there’s a difference between how men and women feel. I’d kill to relive my 20s, but my DH wouldn’t relive his for all the money in the world. DH still travels for work and has a thriving career, while mine took a big hit after marriage/kids. So for him, 40s aren’t much different than 20s. Plus there are different standards for men and women in regards to parenting- I know many men who see their kids only once or twice a year because of exciting jobs, and everyone thinks they are great dads. Meanwhile I was criticized by everyone when I wanted to go back to work when my kids were little.

Anonymous wrote:My early 20's sucked and I wouldn't want to re-live them.

THis

I miss many aspects of being young.

Mostly:
• Not having to color my hair every few weeks in order to cover pesky grays.
What a chore!!
I used to dye my hair for fun back then.

• Having an excellent metabolism and feeling and feeling great about my body.
(I never thought I would gain as much weight as people warned me!!)

• Knowing that I had plenty of time to make my dreams come true.
I dreamed of marriage, a house, a career + vacations I would take.
Yes - -
I was a young dreamer then.

I with you, OP. I miss the pure joy and optimism of youth. Now when the phone rings after 10 pm I wonder who is in trouble/ sick. Watching the local news/ anything about abuse/neglect/violence now makes my stomach turn.

Oh, and I miss feeling "hot" when I put on a great outfit.

I miss my 20’s. My kids were babies.