Reddit user u/Sweetcharcuterie asked women to share their biggest dating regrets from their twenties, and their responses were so good, so relatable, and so, so on point:
1. "Wasting too much time on the wrong men because I was scared of being 'left on the shelf.'"
2. "Dating people who were interested in me instead of pursuing people I was interested in."
3. "Letting myself be pressured into sex I didn’t want to have so I wouldn’t seem impolite or like I was just leading someone on."
"Yes. 'Leading someone on' as a concept is deeply misogynistic and exists to make women feel pressured into romantic relationships they don't want."
4. "Giving fuckboys my time and attention when they didn't reciprocate. With one of them, it was either see him when he was free or not see him at all. It took me two years to finally let him go!"
5. "Sacrificing time with my friends to spend time with significant others. The significant others are gone now, but my friends are still around. I could have made so many more memories with them!"
6. "Doing the 'right thing' — going to college, marrying my first serious boyfriend, getting the career, and buying a nice house in the suburbs, all in that order. I didn't live for myself for a single minute!"
"I lived to please other people and just did what I thought you were 'supposed' to do."
7. "Not being more honest about what I'm looking for in a relationship. In college, it's common for people to just hook up or date casually, so I settled for relationships where I knew the two of us were looking for different things."
8. "Giving selfish partners too many chances, and not speaking up more about things that made me uncomfortable or angry."
—tc88
9. "Sleeping with a guy on a first date. I had two experiences that led to sexual assault. Now I will wait at least three dates to decide."
10. "Lowering my standards and being the 'cool' girl because I thought I wasn't worth basic respect."
11. "I regret that I cheated and hurt so many people. I'm deeply ashamed of how I've treated most of my exes."
12. "Continuing to see someone because they're nice, when the sexual chemistry is nonexistent."
13. "I regret the idea that I needed a partner at all. If it happens, cool. If not, also cool."
14. "Being 'Miss Fix-It,' and leaning more into a parent role than a partner role. It led to my partner not being able to stand on their own."
15. "My regret is not dating more women. I dated more men in my twenties, but I've been changing that in my thirties."
16. "Believing what people were saying instead of what they were doing. Talk is easy, but people who follow through are rare."
17. "Staying too long in that one wrong relationship when I knew it wasn’t made to last halfway through. What a bunch of wasted time."
"Yep. In my last relationship, I had a feeling early on that he wasn’t 'the one' — and I even almost bailed on our first date — but we still had a decent connection, so I tried to make it work. But if I had listened to my gut at the beginning, I would have saved myself from a ton of pain. He ended up being a terrible boyfriend."
18. "I regret not dating enough, unaware that quality men would completely disappear shortly after."
19. "Giving people chances just because they're 'such a nice guy.' If the spark isn't there, it isn't there."
What about you? What dating regrets do you have from your twenties? Tell us in the comments section, and you could be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post!
Some responses have been edited for length and clarity.