Have you changed ?

[Qwerty]

Have you changed as you have got older I don't mean physically but in the way you think I feel I have lost a little confidence in myself, and slightly stressed I was always very laid back . I am much more tolerant of my grandchildren and will play for hours with them all but as a parent I feel guilty that I didn't, my house cleaning got in the way sometimes. I am sometimes more angry than I ever used to be but I smile more at people strangers etc what about you have you changed in any way as you have become older

[Daisy]

Qwerty, what an interesting question. I think I've got more laid back, although I've never been much of a worrier. I think I was more driven to get things done when I was younger, but then I had a demanding full-time job and children and a home to run, and I felt if I ever took my eyes off the spinning plates I'd never get them back again. I think I observe my grandchildren more than I did my onw sons. I have more time to think about where they're coming from rather than wanting to fix the immediate problem.

I've probably got a bit quieter and think some battles aren't worth fighting.

[Oma]

I am more laid back i had a very fiery temper when i was younger and i wouldn't put up with any rubbish, now i bite my tongue and think is it worth a argument . i was very strict with my children but with the grand children im more relaxed i still have rules but im not as bothered about mess, i now think i will sort that out when they have gone .

[Enfys]

I think I am calmer now than I used to be, but whether DH would agree is another story . I'm still a worrier but not as bad as I used to be and I certainly don't get as het up about things.

[Elisi]

Very interesting question Qwerty. I am less impatient but I get cross with myself more than other people these days. Certainly I'm a lot more pragmatic than I used to be. I still don't like mess, I have to be organised. Yes, I'm much more tolerant with my grandchildren than I was as a mother but then I had no time at all, worked full time and ran everything, like Daisy, plates all spinning in the air. They still are really but I don't have to get up at 6 am anymore and I can go to bed when it suits me! I've turned into quite a good listener, I think I talked too much when younger! I certainly have a more laid back attitude to housework and cooking . I love my alone time and when young needed people around all the time, and don't now.

[Mimi]

I used to worry about everything and anything , you name it I worried about it . I also had a short temper and I was a very fidgety sort of person.
There is now very little that worries me. my two biggest concerns are my OH and his health and my eldest DS , apart from I don't worry about anything I can't do anything about.
My temper is non existent, I am more than happy to go with the flow and as for my fidgeting, well yes that's still with me , but two out of three ain't bad !
So yes I changed ,but deep down I am still me ..... Just !!

[Ragdoll]

Interesting question! I was discussing this topic with my daughter only the other day. I have lost a lot of confidence over the last year and become much more reflective than I used to be. I can play for ages with the grandchildren but find I can only concentrate on one thing at a time! Like Daisy, I can't quite believe how many plates I used to spin in the air at the same time just three years ago! Hope my sense of humour never changes though!

[ZIZI]

I am still spinning the flipping plates! I think I am a bit quieter than I used to be, I am still a bit outspoken if I feel something is wrong and people I work with know that (for instance my boss 'phoned me yesterday regarding an office relocation and said he wanted to give me the heads up so I didn't have a go at him in the meeting with HR we are having on Tuesday!). Having said that I do bite my tongue a lot more than I used to. I am very tolerant of the grandchildren, more so than when the boys were younger but then we were running a business and home life had to run smoothly in order to keep it going. I have always been organised and I have always detested being late or turning up for a meeting or event without the right gear or notes etc. Looking around my sitting room there is one thing that hasn't changed, I am still a mucky trollop as the glass shelving and sideboard definitely need a dust but as Joe and Sadie are coming this afternoon I will flick a duster around and hoover a bit .

[Libra Gran]

Beyond recognition,I'm much more laid back compared to when I was young. I stressed about everything when I was younger and never felt "good enough".Now I can roll with the punches and I have much more patience.I couldn't stand the kids making a mess or putting sticky mitts on anything.They had to put away one toy before getting out another.How different I am with the grandkids,they can literally turn the house inside out and it doesn't faze me. I let them eat cake on a plate on the sofa,my kids had everything at the table. I used to worry what people thought of me,now I really do think take me or leave me.I've always called a spade a shovel so that hasn't changed,but I'm much less confrontational than when I was younger.I did the spinning plates but not in a professional way ZIZI does,I had part time jobs of varying types.At one stage I worked from 5.30-8.30am got home and got the kids off to school,then got them home,fed/bathed them and ready for hubs to take over whilst I went to a supermarket to work for another 3 hours.It was a case of need not greed. We chose to have 4 kiddies so it was our responsibility to care for them. Working in the job I do now is the most senior post I have ever worked in. But my kids always say,because of us they have a very strong work ethic. I've no regrets about any of my jobs or the person I was.Life now is slow compared to the days mine were small. Underneath I'm still me,feisty sometimes,but much more placid than before.My friends who know me best say I make a great friend but a terrible enemy.

[Skye]

I've become a lot more confident and outspoken as I got older. I used to be quiet and, for various reasons and circumstances, had to put up with bullying at home and in the workplace. But not any longer!

[Plantaholic]

I am more confident complaining about poor service, I had a bit of a temper when I was a lot younger, well I was a read head. I used to say stop the world, I want to get off when I worked and ran a Brownie Pack.

[Gemini]

I don't feel I have changed hugely
I am more choosy about my friends as I have got older. Life is to short to be in one sided friendships. My friends now are people who value me as much as I value them
I am much more settled within myself since I came to terms with what I really wanted and needed in life. I always felt there was something missing!