Sometimes, I reflect back to when I was a kid and how naive I was in imagining what adult life would be like. So, when the BuzzFeed Community recently shared things they thought they would do (or never do) as adults, the responses caught my eye. Here are some of them!
1. "When I was a kid, I thought adults were weird for getting excited over household products, like a new vacuum or even laundry detergent. Now that I'm almost 30 years old and living on my own, I feel immense excitement every time I buy myself a new bottle of detergent or scent boosters. My fiancé has even pointed out to me that I squeal like a kid in a candy store every time we're in the household products aisle at Target."
2. "I was not going to stay in my hometown, get married, or have kids. I did all those things, and it’s great!"
3. "When I was younger, I thought I would be married at 27 and I might have a few kids. Cut to: me never having a relationship and getting my tubes removed to prevent any chance of pregnancy after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Mental illness and a dysfunctional family seriously fucked up my ability to trust and rely on others. While I would love to be in a relationship, I'm not sure if it will ever happen."
4. "I thought I'd never get into a religion of any kind, but so many secrets of life and the universe started clicking for me. Christianity helped me make those connections. I feel at one with the universe and with God. It's invigorating!"
5. "I never thought that I would stay in a job I hate for the money, but have to pay the bills."
6. "Ride a rollercoaster. I was so scared my whole life and swore I would never ride one. My partner now has gotten me to ride six."
7. "I grew up believing I'd never lie to a child if I were an adult. For instance, my nephew (then 4 years old) threw a major tantrum, like he was being demonically possessed, because he wanted my cat to cook him dinner. After failing to convince him that my cat can't cook, I lied about saying my cat is allergic to rice like how he's 'allergic' to milk (he's lactose intolerant). He finally let me cook. In hindsight, I should have encouraged him to cook with me, but I clearly believed lying to his face was a better solution."
8. "I never thought I'd be excited to get housewares or practical things like socks as gifts. Well, now I ask for them. It’s better than paying for them myself, and sometimes people will go for the nicer one than I would buy for myself. My parents got me some amazing pans for Christmas that I never would have spent money on myself."
9. "I was trained to not like tattoos when I was younger by my mom. I couldn't understand how someone could do that permanently. Then, in a college sociology class, I watched an incredible documentary that changed my thoughts on tattoos, after one man described how he told his life story through his tattoos. Now, I'm in love with tattoos, itching to get the next one. Never be afraid to open your mind to something you thought you'd never like."
10. "I vividly remember saying I would NEVER drink, mostly because I grew up with an alcoholic father so I just generally never saw the appeal of getting drunk. Not that I drink heavily or ever stock up at home, but I definitely enjoy getting drunk now with my best friends at our adult sleepovers. I also remember my childhood best friend and I pinky swearing to never use curse words. LOL"
11. "I never thought I'd listen to NPR. Now the only radio station in my city that I actually like is NPR."
12. "I used to be a straight Christian girl waiting for marriage. Now, I am none of these things."
13. "In freshman year, we had to fill out a little questionnaire about our futures, and our teacher sent them out to us a few years after we graduated. One of the questions was: 'What's your stance on marijuana?' I wrote down, 'I'm not interested, but it's fine for other people.' I live in a legal state, and I smoke weed every single day now."
14. "I used to secretly think my grandma was nuts for going out to her backyard every morning to water and TALK to her plants. She would sing to them and coo at them like they were babies, touching their leaves so gently. I said NOPE, not happening to me!"
15. "I'm considering not being a mom. Since I was little, I was always so excited to be a mom, but my fiancé could go either way about it. Then, I also became a teacher and a nanny. That really changed my perspective."
16. "I never thought I'd get divorced. My parents had a horrible marriage which ended in divorce when I was in high school. I did the cliché thing and married a sober version of my dad — an abusive, narcissistic, pathological liar. When we split and my oldest son started laughing again, my youngest started sleeping again, I realized that divorce wasn’t the worse thing that I could do to them."
17. "Being ok, even happy, spending time alone. When I was young and we kids would be going somewhere with dad, I would feel bad for my mom. 'Are you ok by yourself? I feel bad leaving you alone!' And she was all, 'I’m fine, I’ll read' (or whatever). Never understood that when I was younger. I thought, I always want to do things and be around people! Now, with kids of my own, I value that alone time. I love being with my boys, but getting an hour alone is just what I need sometimes."
Is there anything in your childhood you swore you would never do, but ended up doing anyways? If so, tell me in the comments below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.