I always got pretty worried when adults kept saying that school was the good times growing up, as I didn't have a particularly good time, and was not onboard for it being downhill from there.

Luckily I've learned that it's not actually universally applicable, my life has definitely just gotten better as I've gotten older.

[–] chiliedogg 15 points 10 months ago (3 children)

It's different.

It's way better in some ways - especially if you find a good career in a field you're passionate about.

But some of the responsibilities of adulthood are a burden that is hard to appreciate until you're there. And the perspective gained by life experience is also very different, for better or worse.

For instance, I went through a breakup last year at 39 with someone I was fully expecting to marry. It was my first major relationship failure in decades, and as I was being dumped I expected it to crush me.

What ended up hurting the most was that it didn't hurt that much. I didn't spiral into depression or fall apart at work. I wasn't happy about it, but I was fine. A younger me would have been overwhelmed by the emotional toll, but the adult me was able to keep moving forward without breaking stride.

And in a way that's what hurts. The passion of youth has been tempered by a lifetime of experience that puts everything into perspective.

[–] RGB3x3 12 points 10 months ago

Ugh, as you get older, everything just starts to dull. Things are less important, less passionate, and more "meh" in general. And not in a depressed way, but more specifically that I've been there, done that for most emotions I could have.

I will say that now that I have an infant daughter, I'm finding those passionate emotions again and I'm excited as she's excited and sad when she's sad. That is the great part about parenting.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago

And in a way that's what hurts. The passion of youth has been tempered by a lifetime of experience that puts everything into perspective.

Ok, yes, I felt that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

And in a way that's what hurts. The passion of youth has been tempered by a lifetime of experience that puts everything into perspective.

21, and I am feeling this already.

[–] lanolinoil 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They're the good times because you see you had no responsibilities and endless potential to be so many things, which becomes less and less true as you age. Of course, it's miserable too not knowing what you are/what to do and feeling lost because you have no responsibilities, so it's really just a grass is greener thing I imagine.

[–] son_named_bort 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yeah I think it is a greener grass situation. Sure you may have no responsibilities, but you also have less freedom in school. You can't live on your own, can't drink or gamble or vote or anything like that, can't go where you want, etc. There's always a trade-off.

[–] lanolinoil 2 points 10 months ago

I hated being a kid because no one took anything I had to say seriously

drove me crazy

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

my life has definitely just gotten better as I’ve gotten older.

I'm guessing 20s-30s then? Cos Once you hit 40s things start breaking and falling off.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

For me, school was a shithole that I was glad it was over, those were not the good years. Things are not perfect, but they have gotten radically better ever since.

The only thing about school that was good is that I made a few very good friends. Those are probably going to be life long friendships.