What you thought you wanted as child and how life turned out!

[Gemini]

As a child what did you want to be or do when you grew up?
Did you want to marry, have children, have an exciting job, travel???

As a little girl my answer was always 'I want to be a Mummy' This is understandable as my mum didn't work outside the home, so I had no role model of a working woman. Also I saw it as a cushy life - staying at home and cooking and eating whatever you fancied

Later I was divided between wanting to a nanny or work in theatre. I decided (rightly as it turned out) that I would probably have children of my own later, so I could work in theatre first.
As a child and teenager I had no desire to be married. I disliked boys as a child, and dreaded having to marry one! From the age of 14 I knew for certain I wanted to be a mum so I figured you couldn't have one without the other!

In the end I did work in theatre, but not for long. Two years with a theatre group, two years in London at theatre school then I had my first baby.
I didn't work for a few years, then when my DD2 was 4 years old I went into childcare.
Not as a nanny, but I worked in playgroups, schools and crèches over the years, so I sort of fulfilled both my early career wants.

I did marry a very nice, man and it wasn't horrible at all
We had 3 wonderful children, so I got my babies.
We are still friends and both now remarried. I have been happily married to my wife for the last 12 years, so life takes all sort of turns

[Oma]

I wanted to be a Electrician, not possible for a girl in those days, it was a man’s world and god forbid a woman would venture into that.
I became a Mother very young so that ended that dream but I loved being a Mam so it was no hardship for me 😁

[Plantaholic]

I think my thoughts were to get married and have children like my sisters.

Oma, shame you were not able to choose the profession you wanted to train for.

[Nanto2girls]

I just wanted to get married and have babies.
Marriage came along when i was 17,then the babies came.
As our children grew older i used to wish i was a granny.
My wish did come true,never imagined i would be a great granny, but i am.

[Daisy]

It never occurred to me as a child that I might one day become a mummy. I didn't really look ahead but I thought I'd like to be a vet. Then I realised there would be aspects I couldn't cope with. Knowing I had to make some choices at school and with no careers advice I decided to go for Pharmacy. Then, in the fifth form I decided I didn't want to spend another two years at school followed by 3 years at uni. My social life was very important to me and spending hours and hours studying was a no-no.

I did sort of imagine getting married at some time in the future, but it was a vague thought, and had no timescale, and didn't going as far as thinking about children apart from thinking I'd be sad if I never had any. OH and I met and were married within 12 months, but didn't have children for another 5 years. With hindsight, that was probably good as it gave us time to get to know each other better.

I can't remember looking ahead and planning!!

[Lizzie48]

Like Daisy I never really had any plans, just let life happen! I have had "ups and downs", managed to come out on the bright side, I am very satisfied with my life and grateful that I can live it!

[Gemini]

I think I was a strange child
I spent a lot of time 'thinking'.
I remember a long thought process I had with myself on more than one occasion about the fact that the world could not possibly have existed before I was born, but then I knew from my mum and dad that it had (Not to mention the history books!) I also doubted the world would exist after I died. Children can be very egocentric
I distinctly remember aged 10 thinking 'There must be 10 a year old boy somewhere in this world who I will marry'. As it happens there was!
Too much time alone ,maybe, but I was a great thinker.

[Daisy]

Gem, I was also a 'thinker' - perhaps as you say it's spending a lot of time on your own, and in those days alternative entertainment was much more limited. I thought about all sorts of things - running away to join a circus (despite having no circus skills at all!), wondering if characters in my favourite books were in fact real, who would I live with if my parents split up, being a princess (instead of a tomboy!), swimming the Channel, thinking that the wind blowing in my face was applause for doing something right, all kinds of bizarre things.