# Things you miss before you had kids. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 18, 2002, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294 "2002-11-18T12:26:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/1 "2002-11-18T12:26:19Z")
Ok I’ll go first: 1.) Walking around naked in the house. 2.) Sex in the livingroom and every other room for that matter. 3.) spur of the moment vacations with the ol’ lady. 4.) pot (this one I miss the least.) And I think it goes with out saying that I give all those things up gladly for my kids. (as I’m sure any other parent would.) I may think of more later… How about the rest of you doper parents? ---
**Author:** ![Anahita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9a28c/32.png) [@Anahita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anahita)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/2 "2002-11-18T12:39:22Z")
Sleeping in. ---
**Author:** ![haardvark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@haardvark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/haardvark)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/3 "2002-11-18T12:46:27Z")
sleeping, **period**. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/4 "2002-11-18T12:48:07Z")
Yeah, I’m going to have to go with sleeping in. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/5 "2002-11-18T16:39:31Z")
Spontaneity. Shortly after the Perfect Child[sup]TM[/sup] made her grand entrance, we realized that even a brief outing required planning. Either we had to pack a bag of baby stuff or we had to find and pay a sitter. No more dashing off for a weekend, or a quick dinner out, or an afternoon walking on the beach. Thankfully, our baby is 17 now, so we can go back to doing what we did in the old days. If we had the energy… ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/6 "2002-11-18T16:44:06Z")
(1) Sleeping and sleeping in. (2) Having loads of free time, every evening, to just do whatever. (3) Going to the movies whenever we wanted. (4) Going out to dinner whenever we wanted. (5) The $800 a month that now goes to daycare. (6) Having a nicely decorated extra bedroom (it’s now his room). Not that I’d trade him for anything. He’s been a great addition to our lives. But yeah, I miss these things. ---
**Author:** ![hedra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/779978/32.png) [@hedra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hedra)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/7 "2002-11-18T16:47:16Z")
I barely remember before we had kids, and it has only been five years… must be sleep deprived. - Uncomplicated dinners out, followed by movie, not having to think about anything but us. - Vacations that include staying up ungodly late listening to live music. - Wearing impractical clothes just for fun. We get to sleep in at least once a week, because my mom takes the kids overnight. Yay for grandmas nearby! (especially those who remember their own parenthood-specific desire to sleep in) ---
**Author:** ![hedra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/779978/32.png) [@hedra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hedra)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/8 "2002-11-18T16:48:54Z")
(and don’t get me started on daycare **PLUS** private school tuition…) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/9 "2002-11-18T16:52:47Z")
Time. Money. Health. Going out to movies. Friends. Privacy. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/10 "2002-11-18T17:03:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ethilrist \* > **Friends.** Hey! I got LOTSA friends! Okay, they’re the parents of my KIDS’ friends, I guess… [sub]Please, PLEASE make friends with little Anastasia…the one with the doe-eyed Mom in the leopard-skin stirrup pants…I wanna play date with HER.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![YEP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/43a26b/32.png) [@YEP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YEP)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/11 "2002-11-18T17:37:15Z")
Playing with my toys. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/12 "2002-11-18T17:41:48Z")
Basically what everyone else said. I really miss dinner at nice restaurants without too much planning. Ditto for going to the movies. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/13 "2002-11-18T18:35:50Z")
One no one has mentioned. Being able to stay late at work on the spur of the moment to handle an emergency without making phone calls to my mother to see if she can drop what she is doing to take the kids. Not like I miss staying late for emergencies. Which I still do, just not as often because its significantly more complicated. ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/14 "2002-11-18T20:55:30Z")
Uninterrupted sex. Not having to monitor television commercials constantly while my kids are in the room. Las Vegas. A clean car. Mid-afternoon naps (not entirely impossible but very difficult with a 3 year-old taking one nap a day and a 1.5 year-old taking two naps a day and neither at the same time). Overnight backpacking trips (although these will come soon enough when the boys are older). Spending two hours on Sunday morning with Mrs. Gaffer reading the paper and drinking coffee in splendid blissful silence. Not planning every outing down to the smallest detail, complete with contingency plans. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/15 "2002-11-19T00:37:11Z")
Speaking for my own dad, fast sports cars. Having said that the car he replaced his MG with was a Lancia Beta Coupe, Dad’s concession to fatherhood being the need for rear seats in the car :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/16 "2002-11-19T00:50:40Z")
:: scratches ‘have kids’ off To Do list :: ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/17 "2002-11-19T00:54:31Z")
My Metabolism and waistline. Everything else, I’ve either gotten use too or really don’t miss. Except the money from having a job and the joy of just blowing money left and right without a care in the world. Whoooooo, that was fun! ( I wish I had that money back …) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/18 "2002-11-19T01:17:13Z")
Add to Shirley’s list: Breasts that are where God intended them (instead of somewhere in the vacinity of my belly button) Butt where God intended it (instead of somewhat closer to my knees than it used to be). Tummy that didn’t resemble cottage cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/19 "2002-11-19T02:03:30Z")
Veging out in front of the TV for hours on rainy Saturdays. Sleep. Being able to hop in the car at a moment’s notice. Sleep. Red wine after a stressful day. (I’m breastfeeding.) Sleep. Reading several chapters in a book at once. Sleep. Sleep. But it is sooooooo worth it. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294/20 "2002-11-19T02:13:30Z")
Easy travel. Privacy. (Do I let her watch me go to the bathroom, or put up with the pounding on the door? Wait! Sesame Street is on! Yay!) And the other stuff mentioned up there. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-miss-before-you-had-kids/137294.md?page=2)