Snapshots of your life...

[Guest]

Age 7- Happy, quiet, shy, well behaved. Always hanging out with my best friend.

Age 14 - Moody, hating secondary school, loved having sleepovers at my friends and boy mad! 😂🙈

Age 21- Onto second serious bf. One dog. Mentally recovering from a miscarriage, and that year being pregnant and giving birth to my ds. Moved out of home to a rented house. Working full time up to maternity leave.

Aged 28 - Two children now, still in rented accommodation, had been made redundant whilst on maternity leave. A more confident person than I was as a child.

Now 33 (not quite 35)- Two children, now married to 2nd serious bf, living with mil, no dog, but 2 cats. Not working, full time student, volunteering at a zoo.

[Disneydreamer91]

I’m not very far into my adult life yet but mine goes a little like:

7 - happy family life, not many friends in primary school but it doesn’t really affect me

14 - fairly happy, again not many friends but quite an introvert.

21 - a horrible breakup from a boyfriend but a lovely family life. Still not many friends but starting to make a few

28 (this year &#128561 - struggling slightly, lots more friends and feeling really valued in that department, job is okay, earn enough but not very fulfilled. Family life not as happy after mum died but we’re plodding along.


Actually writing that I realise how lost I feel at 27/28 - hopefully the next update is better!

[Tinkerbell]

Originally Posted by Disneydreamer91

I’m not very far into my adult life yet but mine goes a little like:

7 - happy family life, not many friends in primary school but it doesn’t really affect me

14 - fairly happy, again not many friends but quite an introvert.

21 - a horrible breakup from a boyfriend but a lovely family life. Still not many friends but starting to make a few

28 (this year &#128561 - struggling slightly, lots more friends and feeling really valued in that department, job is okay, earn enough but not very fulfilled. Family life not as happy after mum died but we’re plodding along.


Actually writing that I realise how lost I feel at 27/28 - hopefully the next update is better!

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Take hope from those of us who are way up the seven scale. Read again , we’ve all, in general, turned out fairly good lives. Things will improve, everyone has those years of bleakness

[WhereIBelong]

Age 7 - one of 4 kids living in hell - remote Scottish Island, father alcoholic, mother bi-polar, both religious, church on Sat/Sun/Wed, home life horrid, council house on a sink estate for "problem families" cold and hungry, escaped into school.

Age 14 - father left, got a job, now cold, hungry and continually knackered, still at school - only place I feel happy.

Age 21 - working, supporting family, little sister still at primary school, brothers rapidly heading towards prison.

Age 28 - having had a few more years of hell, now living life for me. Economic growth in the 80s has given me an escape, decent job, decent money, still sending money "home", never going "home" again.

Thatcher years were my salvation - ironic!

Age 35 - met hubby, married, living the life, work fantastic, bought our house - finally have a "forever" home that is mine.

Age 42 - having had 2 kids, work part time work now, best years of my life

Age 49 - paid off mortgage, lovely holidays, money to spare, not feeling that well, tired a lot, still happy and loving life

now Age 54 - had heart attack, bit of a warning, slow it down a bit. Early retirement with a fab pension, still work a little part time for sanity, taking time to smell the roses and hug my kids.

Life has changed so much over those years, looking back it seems like a soap opera of someone else's life, but I am glad to be where I am now, I do feel for those stuck in my past, living that life of poverty (in every way) every day.

[Do5-BaG]

Originally Posted by vanlou

Really enjoying reading about everyone’s lives. Sad though how many of you were bullied at school

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Yeh I know I've stated that I was Bullied and it pretty much went on all the way through secondary school, and ended up influencing which college I ended up going to as well,

My school also had a 6th Form College, most of my friends, as well as the bullies, all went to that college, I took the decision to go to a different college to just get away from them, which meant I pretty much lost contact with a lot of people I'd been friends with from primary school through to secondary school, although I'm a pretty sociable lad and made some friends for life in college who I still see today, but it just shows how bullying affects people.

Regarding teachers, I wasn't one of the "bad lads" in school but I did have an issue regarding concentration and learning, i found it hard to really take things in and was diagnosed as Dyslexic at around the age of 14, but by that time I'd pretty much been put into classes where the teachers didn't care and I was been left behind, 90% of the pupils in these classes where "Bullies" or just trouble makers who disrupted everything, which made it even harder to learn, I was pretty much on course to just fail my GCSEs, but I finally spoke up and my parents went into the school and talked it over with my heads of year. After that myself and a about 7 others from these classes where then put into our own private groups in the school, I also started private tuition and by the time my GCSE's came about I passed with B's & C's in all major subjects, sounds daft but I can still remember crying on results day not just knowing I passed but knowing I was walking out of that school for the last time, probably a feeling that will stay with me forever.

All I can say regarding bullies is they are the lowest of the low, I still don't think schools and teachers have enough power to deal with bullying effectively or offer the right sort of support to pupils.

If I can take anything away from my experience, it's that in the long run it probably made me a stronger person mentally, I know that I've progressed in life and achieved things including a career I'd never have dreamed of when I left school, while when I go home and buy the local paper the names of the bullies are a re-occurring theme in the crime sections, been a thug or a "hard man" gets you nowhere in life.

Anyways sorry for the war and peace post, just thought it was worth sharing, as bad as it all seems at that age just never give up there is always a light at the end of every tunnel.

[katy341]

Age 7... happy, spoilt rotten, obsessed with barbies and playing out till it got dark and filled with hope. Magic and fairytale ideas!
Age 14... not a particularly naughty teenager! Went out on a Friday to McDonalds with friends (20ish of us lol) rented videos from blockbusters gossiped about the latest going ons and crushing on George Clooney and Joey from friends lol

Age 21... married had a baby in April settling into my new build house life was lovely

Age 28...now have 2 children. Left job to become a midwife, now about to qualify but things weren't so good at home. Hubby and I on the rocks and a lot of debt acquired from the course i was on

Now... age 34... divorced, settled with new partner. Now have 2 lovely step children making a total of 4 kids! Settled in job, just bought our first home together as a blended family. Having a Disney countdown to look forward to, have our family pet! Lost 90%of family and friends through divorce but actually couldnt be happier

Woah! When u look at your life like this its amazing to see how far a person can go!

[mitch84]

7 – Living in Suffolk with Mum and Dad, been an only child until about 6 months previously when my brother was born. Hated primary school, was an avid reader, and could read and write before I went, and so primary school was a bit pointless for me, they used to give me a beanbag in the corner where I could read library books all day. Got badly bullied for being different, so was just in the process of scholarships for independent prep boarding school.
14 – Parents divorced by this time, both with different partners, who had 2 kids each. Still at boarding school, but had been to several different ones in the meantime, including one in Switzerland. Sitting my French GCSE this year, and quite enjoying school, finally had been at a school for a while and had friends. Very unsettled home life though, and spent most holidays at friends houses, Mum pregnant with my half brother.
21 – I had finished uni in Sheffield this year, and got offered a good job with a big construction company. Moved in with my bf of 2 years into a little rented new build, this was a happy time.
28 – Been living in Australia with the same bf for 3 years, enjoyed life over there, made friends and by 28 was in a good job again.
35 – (this year) Had a fairly acrimonious breakup with the bf, and moved back to England when 32. Had no house, job etc so lived with a friend whilst building everything back up. Met a new boyfriend on the internet in 2017, and married him recently. Now own a small house and have a dog together.

[Brave5]

Age 7 - by this time I had lived in 6 different states in the US and one different Country - Military Brat - but was happy and have many fond memories of my early years.

Age 14 - Just lost my mum to Cancer and became the stand in mum to a younger brother and sister. Happy to have a very close knit of swimming friends who are still great friends today to get me though the teen years without driving my dad batty!

Age 21 - Studying Exercise Physiology and Sports Medicine at University in Washington State. Probably the worst years of my life actually.

Age 28 - Had just met my future DH while working in New York (he is from London)

Age 35 - Happily married to DH with three boys and living in Wales. DS1 was born with lower limb deformities and we spent the last 5 years in and out of hospital. Difficult few years but wouldn't change them for the world!

Age 42 - Lost my Dad during this time which took a huge hit! Unfortunately since then I have heard very little from my siblings . Still happily married and boys all happy and healthy!

Age 49 - This year! Oldest DS is off to University in September, middle DS will be starting 6th form and youngest DS will be starting GCSE's. Life is pretty good and we are still all happy and healthy...except being 50 is right around the corner eekk!

Age 56 - Hopefully all still happy and healthy and boys are well into careers/ finishing University (should younger choose to go). Still planning trips to Disney with maybe even a grandchild - not according to either of my older two though hahahaha