"Those were the best days of my life"

[Teacher Terry]

Kathryn, I loved your description of being young with your baby and your happiness. I had a similar experience as I married at 18 and had my first son at 19. I did life in reverse with kids first and then college. There’s a season for everything and I am much less busy since retirement and I like it that way.

[curiousgeorge5]

Childhood for me. Maybe 10 to 12 years old.

[kokonutty]

Originally Posted by curiousgeorge5

Childhood for me. Maybe 10 to 12 years old.

That fits then - Bryan Adams was 9 1/2 years old in the "Summer of '69."

[springfieldva]

Young adulthood was a carefree, fun time when I was only responsible for myself and when everything I did was for me. I had a ton of fun during those years. I was broke but life was an adventure. The best things in life are free.

Raising kids, being a stay at home mom taking them places, volunteering in their schools and various activities was the most rewarding experience I could have ever asked for. My kids are close in age and have always been very compatible which has made vacationing with them and even just hanging out at the house with them a lot of fun. It was a lot of work, a ton of responsibility and, of course, there were sleepless nights, times when I worried about them and not so fun things like stomach viruses, high fevers and even a couple of ER visits over the years.

Approaching empty nest years (now), I'm starting to regain some of the freedom that I loved so much as a young adult. My husband and I can get a hotel room in town, have a nice dinner out, maybe see a show and then do a little bar hopping. The other weekend, we pitched a tent in our very large, wooded back yard, enjoyed a fire in the fire pit and slept under the stars with our dogs. If I need to go to the store, I just go and don't have to worry about picking up a kid from school, taking one to ball practice or a doctor's appt. The kids are still dependent on us but they will be in their own places before we know it and providing for themselves. So, I'm starting to plan and prepare for what the next phase of life will be.

[nalabama]

The happiest times of my life have all revolved around visiting, staying with, working with, playing with my close relatives on my Mother’s side of our family. I love my cousins to this day and look forward to every trip back to the hills and fields of Kentucky to see them.