Married my husband.

Waited a long time to have a baby. I was married 15 years before my daughter was born. Smartest thing I ever did.

Becoming an at-home-mom 23 years ago when it wasn't the thing to do.

My DH and I both have business degrees and although I enjoyed my job the glass ceiling in the late 80's was stronger than it is today. We had 1 child and another on the way and our "quality" time with our DS1 was running around doing errands on the weekend with him in his car seat. It was always a big argument, if daycare called with a problem, as to who had the free time to pick him up. Who had no meetings or no reception or whatever to go and get him, etc. It was time to bring some balance back into our lives for us as a family.

I think if I hadn't been an at-home-mom I don't thing our DS1 would have graduated from high school and doing as well as he did in college. He had learning difficulties and because I was at home I could reinforce the reading, math, writing skills to help him. I know that a lot of families don;t have the financial luxury to do this and that a lot of people just don't/can't want to do it but it was a good decision for us and I never regret it.

got my real estate license!

Joined the Air Force at 27. That's when my real life began. Choosing not to have children was another decision I've never regretted.

Moving to Iowa in 2005. I left beautiful Northern California because it was too expensive to retire there. I wouldn't really call Iowa scenery beautiful but the people are beautiful.

I was 18 just out of HS and PG~~~not getting married to the JERK~~~was the best thing I ever did for my DD#2 and myself~~~single parent for 12 years, married a wonderful man. 33 years later I would say that is the 2nd best thing I ever did;)

Learned flute. It was, and is, a great emotional outlet. Or gardening, or cooking...

Getting my Ph.D. and having a wonderful and fulfilling career at a really great university in a city I love (with tenure for job security!). Gosh, I've been blessed!

1. Stay home mom
2. Grad school before kids came, in a flexible field
3. Practiced my violin
4. Joined the church
5. Married the right person in the right place.

No order, all equally important

Learning to listen to others to break certain emotional cycles I need to work on and learning to listen, instead of talk too much.

Having my kids when I was young . I might have been poor, but they were well dressed and well taken care of . I was a stay at home mom. I have "known" my kids and have had them in my life since I was 21, so essentially grew up with them. They have been with me all my adult life . I feel sorry for people who have kids really really late in life, because they will miss so much.

I don't know....I think it's easy to say things about who you married and when you had kids. I have my own moments like that. While those are important and are not to be overlooked, I like to think about the things I've done for other people. The old adage "treat others as you would like to be treated" comes into play but there are moments that stand out.....I'll list a few....

Just this morning, I stopped to help a guy who was trying to load a motorcycle into the back of a pick up truck from a little hill (no ramp). It was impossible and he knew it but he couldn't put the motorcycle down to move the truck. Essentially, he was stuck; couldn't move in any direction. I was going to pass by but something made me stop and help. All I did was move his truck a few feet but it helped him a bunch!

Several years ago, a woman working at a tanning salon told me about a guy who made her uneasy. Her boss told her to call the cops but the guy wasn't around. She didn't know what to do. I told her to call the police, tell them everything she told me and ask for additional patrols. When my husband and I were leaving, we circled the building just to ease our minds and there was a guy parked behind the strip mall. Went back to the girl and gave her a description of the guy. It was him. Told her to call the police NOW and left to flag down the officer we saw nearby. Long story short, he was busted with the intent to do bad things. Couple years later, he was sentenced to 8 years for attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The officer we flagged down gave me some details on what he said at apprehension and I shudder to think what could have happened. But it didn't.

Lily, that's kind of a broad statement. My parents were in their 40's when I was born. I think they were much more relaxed with me. I didn't need them to be my "friends". I needed them to be my parents....and they were. My mother lived to be 97, so I don't think she missed much. When you have children is an individual thing. I have never understood why people just have babies with no thought to it...but maybe I thought about it too much. For me, it worked out best that I had mine when I was in my mid 30's. My life was much more settled and I was able to be a better parent because of that.

I was a good parent at 21, in fact anal, but most 21 year olds shouldn't have kids or maybe even pets. I shudder to think of my 22 year old granddaughter having kids at this age .You are a lot smarter having them in your 30's and in today's environment , I probably would have. . Your mother living to 97 got to be with you much of her life. I'm really talking more about men who can father kids late in life. David Letterman became a first time dad late in life. He's 65 and has an eight year old. He adores this kid, and I think he's a little sad because he may not live to see grandkids and he'll be in his 70's when the kid's in college.

I do know if I had a kid at forty, I'd be exhausted. I was at the prime of my life at 21 and 24 and still was soooo tired. .

It's such a good feeling to do the right thing!!!

Dees post made me remember of the time when DH and I were out walking and the mail delivery truck had gotten stuck in the snow. We went home to get shovels and helped dig him out. He was so grateful, obviously. Previous to that we had seen a number of cars go around him.

This post was edited by jasdip on Wed, Jan 2, 13 at 17:31

I have TWO:

Took GS on an Alaskan cruise
Plus this summer on a Caribbean cruise

Was a very special time in both our lives!

prolly having my girls. They mean the world to me. It would be hard to say what else "best" I may have done... cause to me it would look like bragging.

Moni

Brag away, the rest of us are! :) There's a time and place for it. It's OK to say, I'm glad I made this decision. As long as there isn't a "my decisions are better than yours" behind it, its OK!

Buying a house on my own before getting married. Marrying DH. Moving to WV. Getting my PhD (that one is still quite shocking- especially since I refused to go to 1st grade!)

marita40, where do you work? My next goal is to find a tenure track position. I would love to stay in WV but not sure if that will work out.

Other than having my kids, I'd say finishing my college degree, kicking out my XH, and becoming self sufficient. And learning to play tennis!

Probably going to work after I stayed home to raise my kids. My youngest was 11 at the time. I mainly started working to help financially but I also gained self confidence, self respect, friends and the realization I wasn't all that dumb. I now have a pension and friends I still am in contact with. I miss my job but I had a lot of responsibility and I'm to old now to do the job the way I want to.

Giving birth to my children.

And a brief word about older parents vs. younger parents:

My dad was 40 when I was born. He was a wonderful father who had to raise me by himself when my mother died unexpectedly 9 years later. I was 30, 32, and 35 when my children were born. My husband was 12 years older. I stayed home with my kids and had a great time doing it. My older daughter was 17 when her baby was born. She worked her way through college and grad school, and never had an opportunity to stay home. I'm a devoted mother; she's a devoted mother. We both enjoy great relationships with our grown children. It's all good.

I would say marrying my hubby 45 years ago, having our 3 children and becoming a grandma of eight... I can say, Life is great!!!!!!!!

Besides getting married and having three children, I think working as a Hospice nurse was the best.

1. Marrying my hubby
2. Adopting our daughter
2. Moving to Georgia

Sounds trite and I wasn't going to post, but then I thought of the way I feel when I open the garage door coming in from a long day at the office and see his car there knowing he is in the house waiting for me and the way he looks at me when I first walk in -- yep, marrying him and sticking through some hard times early on was the best ( and one of the most difficult) thing I have ever done. So worth the effort and I cannot imagine these past 30 odd years without him.

As to the perfect time to have children, my mother told me when I was pregnant with my DD and planning to start law school the next year, that there never is any perfect time to have kids, but there is a right time for every family. As it turns out going to law school with a toddler had advantages. A child puts things in perspective, I had a bit more flexibility than I would have had working a 9 to 5 job, I couldn't be out on the town
lots of nights like my classmates, and because DD went to bed at around 7:30 or so, I had plenty of time at night to study, at least enough to graduate with high honors near the top of my class.

I've done things right and done things wrong but I guess probably the best thing I did was not get caught up in the "keeping up with the Jones" on a number of things.

Yep, there are three things in life for which there is no "good time" to do them: Buy a house, finish school, and have a child. They're all hard and there will always be something that interferes, but just go for it! You'll be better off after you hunker down and do it.

Life 'happens' wheather you make plans or not. On any given hour of any day, we can have 'regrets' or 'best things ever". The secret really is.... make lemonade from lemons when that is what you have..... really love, really care and be grateful for all the wonderous things we have and will have.

Worked my way through college to get a BS in engineering. It took me 6 years, but it was a great expereince. I have always been thankful for the engineering training program sponsored by the Army Ordnance Command.

Met and married the love of my life.

Taught 3 semesters of night classes of calculus at a local trade school as part of giving back. It wasn't for the money because the pay was low. I learned that quality teaching takes work and attitude.

Along the way toward older age, completed a Master's degree. That one help me through several recessions because it helped me retain employment as associates around me were being laid off. Those were nervous times.

Best choice I ever made was moving to Florida. I love it here and met Harry, too!!

Oklamoni, what you've accomplished would never come across as bragging. It takes a lot of skill and stamina to complete those bike trips. If you have those threads of your trips saved, it would sure be fun to read them again--plus we have a lot of new people who aren't aware of your incredible feats!

Traveling with my DH
Working construction with my DH
Running mileage

It's the feeling of independance,competence and freedom that I like.

Finished whatever I started...

Thankful that, after borrowing my allowance ahead from Dad on a few occasions and having been forced to stretch the pennies for some months afterward, to heed Dad's advice that if I couldn't pay cash for something ... to not buy it: wait till later, when I had the cash on hand.

And build up some cash on hand, available in case of need.They said on the radio the other day that many people, earning $100.00 ... are spending $160.00!

One can't continue a hobby like that for any length of time, without getting badly burned!

Dad taught mne to be a good neighbour ... and my boss told folks a couple of thousand years ago that we should love our neighbours as ourselves.

Seems to me wise to be courteous, generous and kind to others, even to offering a smile to folks that we meet on the street, in the supermarket, etc. ... or making a friendly comment: usually I get a reply that includes at least a small portion of warmth, and oftern there's a smile that each carries away, to brighten one's day a bit. Seldom do I get that look that offers even a slight suggestion that it'd be a good idea were I to get lost!

Dad used to say that he wanted to leave the farm better than he found it, and brother, the retired farmer, feels the same. Though they may not have articulated such, they'd say that they wanted to leave their community better than they found it, as well - and both did.

I agree ... and my definition of community stretches to our province, nation and the wider world.

We'll either learn to live together, showing concern for the welfareof others ... or we could well all die together.

Years ago we were worried about being fried to a crisp with those horrendous bombs ... but now it appears that our demise may be brought about by wasting precious resources and causing massive global warming and pollution.

Unless we smarten up.

Those seem to be my major good things ... thus far.

ole joyfuelled ... who's been known to dispense gas ... as well as burning it

Met and married DH and got into healthcare IT industry in the early 80s - the industry I still work in. Not sure how much I "chose" these things vs being in the right place at the right time and "falling" into them.

Married my DH!

I'd have to say marrying my husband, because then we wouldn't have the two wonderful kids God lent to us.
Secondly, completed college and got my RN degree, big and pregnant I might say--lol.
And the last "best thing" I've ever done, well I was a bedside nurse on a pulmonary unit and did a lot to make my patients as comfortable as possible. (Don't wanna toot my own horn) lolol.

Graduated from university with 2 degrees.

Left an unhappy marraige.

My children. Had my first baby at 24 and my last in my 40s. My oldest daughter just made my 10 yr old sons uncles and me a grandmother.

My MIL just passed away over the holidays at the age of 90. She had 6 children...they are 64 to 45. She was a wonderful mother to her youngest who was born when she was 45.

I only hope I can do as well as her...middle age motherhood is nothing new.

I also managed to earn an ms in public health nursing after my second was born.

Having three wonderful children, now 48,46, and 42 with families of their own.

And, #2, completing RN training at 41, worked at several jobs I enjoyed and the last was being hired as Administrator,and setting up a public health department in the county where I live now. It was one of the last ones to be established in this state with 114 counties! This is the largest county in the state and didn't have a health department until 1987. I retired 7 years ago.

Proud of my middle DD, she worked her way up from a clerk typist to Adm. of the local health dept. in the adjoining county. Keep it in the family, lol.

In the last yr, it would be the wonderful trip dh & I took last summer, b/c there were some significant bumps for our lives right after that.

Overall, it would be that I became an RN, saved $ for retirement & retired to (mostly) bliss 9 yrs ago.

Oh & taking care of my twin infant grand-dtrs & my toddler grandson created such a loving bond. And I was able to do that b/c I WAS retired! Mmmm... Mmmmm!

Marrying DH. I waited a long time for him--worth the wait. :)

Getting my BA in my mid 20s, and spending many good years in accounting/finance..... and getting my RN this past summer at the age of 49. :) So proud to be there---finally!!

Got married, had my babies, and stayed home to raise them.