I do try to share my regrets. My regrets are more things not done than done though. Maybe that makes a difference. I’d like them to have life easier. One or two listen; one seems to learn things the hard way.
When adult D and I have a couple of cocktails, believe me, she gets an ear full.
I don’t know how my mother breathed through some of what I did (and there are things she still doesn’t know.) But she encouraged me to go forth, has more than a bit of history of her own. I try to show my kids how to make some choices so they don’t have regrets in the future.
You know, other than marital or job issues, we still have time to have some fun, try new directions, climb a bit out of our own boxes. Some do this, I know, but you can change things up.
I do share regrets with my kids. It doesn’t seem to make much difference. I guess some things you have to live through to appreciate.
I regret not having more kids, not getting a dog when the kids were little, not being bolder and taking more risks when I was in college.
Anybody read Life After Life? It is a novel about being able to push reset at certain critical junctures in life. Sometimes the reset is a good idea, sometimes not.
I should have gone to nursing school.
I too regret not getting a dog when the kids were younger. Thanks for the reminder, lizardly. I had just never owned a dog and was overly cautious.
As mentioned I’ve read that most people regret what they didn’t rather than what they did. I’ve always been risk adverse. Until now. I’ve had the chance to press reset and intend to not let reason and practicality get in the way of what I’m interested in doing.
I could have joined the Foreign Service. I would never have met my wife. My child would not be on this planet. No regrets. That’s my philosophy.
I wish we had built our house someplace else. If only we had known…
I don’t think this is about regrets. Just different choices.
I wish I had spent more time with my grandmother. I really miss her.
I should have broken up with BF (now H) when we graduated and had a fling. If we reconnected later, great. We both should have had more experience before we got married.
@romanigypsyeyes, I share the ones that I think will help them make better decisions. But some of them are none of their business. 
Just to be clear, I was genuinely just curious. I’m just interested in how different families work 
(Blame the anthro-history person in me who is really interested in family structures…)
Personally, I love some of my parents’ bad decision stories… but admittedly, they are probably not ones that would be shared in most other families (like bad acid trips…)
I thought of another one: I wish I would’ve advocated for myself more when I knew there was something wrong with my stomach and it wasn’t just heartburn like my ex-PCP kept saying. I would have far fewer surgery scars on my stomach if I had just pushed back 
I would have gotten out of my sick bed and insisted on a being the designated driver…
I would have broken up with BF (now H) when we graduated to give both of us a chance to be on our own and see if we ended up together in the end.
I wish I didn’t bring my first or second dog home. I should have done better research and made decisions based on that , rather than impulsive and emotional decisions. That impacted our family as well as the quality of life of the two dogs. This is one instance where the internet would have been useful
Nrdsb4-- that sounds like it led to something very bad. I hope not.
I seem to have the most regrets about relationships. I know I’ve done a lot right in my life but my bad choices and memories are what haunt me.
Yes, it did. It changed my life irrevocably. I’ve never gotten over it, just eventually became resigned to it and exhausted by the emotional trauma. You move on from those things, but they do change you.
When people say they have no regrets, even for bad events, I can’t relate.