As we journey through life, we often ponder on the things we desire to accomplish before our time is up. These musings take shape in what is commonly referred to as a "bucket list."
While many of us may not cross off everything from ours, the process of jotting down our aspirations helps us identify our priorities and can be a source of inspiration when reflecting on all that we've achieved.
On the flip side, there are certain activities that leave such a sour taste in our minds that we vow never to attempt them. So when Reddit user Phlux asked other people on the platform to share their top "anti-bucket list" of things, many happily obliged.
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Caving. F**k. That. Google the nutty putty cave, and read all about John Jones for nightmares.
Having my own kids. I'm at that age where all my friends either have kids or are planning too but I just can't imagine changing my entire life to become a parent
Agreed. Low-interest, no effort parents cause individual and societal harm via the ripple effect.
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I was married at 39, had my daughter at 40. I was never doing either. Glad you never know what life will bring.
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me too. I think with my mental health I'd be a terrible parent, I can barely remember to eat every day, let alone remember to feed kids!
I do struggle with my mental health too and this can be hard, but I’ll tell you, the way you feel about your kid you just somehow do it. Like I couldn’t do it for me, but for my son is different. AND it’s definitely possible to lose your child to cps if you aren’t able to care for them properly. So know your own boundaries and it’s okay not to have kids! The other part I worry about is that I’ll pass my mental health issues on to him. 😕
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Nope. We both agreed neither of us is father material (or interested) we're more Geeky Uncle.
Geeky uncles get to give the kids back when they're done visiting. Geeky uncles also have adult kids visit them in the nursing home because Geeky Uncles do fun things (spend quality time with them). I absolutely love being the eccentric aunt. So much fun!!!
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I made the no kids decision first as a teen, but I did give it a thought when I was starting transitioning, because it was the last chance, you know. We talked about it with bf and still came to the conclusion - heck nope. Nearing 50 now and it was the best decision of my life.
Being a parent isn't for everyone. I had a hard time understanding that sentence myself for a very long time. I believe that there are a lot of parents in this world that shouldn't have been one. On that note, for myself, I can't imagine my life without my kids. They bring so much joy, meaning and love to my life. It is a blessing to bring kids into this world and if you don't want them, then stand by your reasons. Having kids will change your life forever. The changes it made in mine, it would take a few hrs for me to write hahaha! That being said, it's good that people are being honest about it and it should be talked about in relationships too before someone gets hurt or miscommunication happens.
Hard same. NEver wanted kids. Sick of people telling me I'llchange my mind.
Tell the them "there is nothing wrong with the mind you have." A favorite line from Star Trek.
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I don't like kids, I don't want kids but damn does it make me furious when people hurt kids. Some people should have never become parents. And I don't want to bring a kid into this. *gestures at everything*
Being on this site and reading all of your reasonable and encouraging comments about being child free this past year has made me feel so free and safe with my decision not to have kids. It's difficult sometimes to talk to people about stuff like this and the only places i could find on, for example, Facebook were just full of people being hateful about children and i'm not about that. So thanks i guess :)
Good for you. It's not for everyone. And cultural stereotypes need to get over this fact. I have two beautiful children and I have to say it's the best thing I've ever done,. That doesn't mean everyone else needs to be just like me. 💚
I have been child-free my entire life. At the age of 42, I became a part-time parent to three, young children (summers only) due to my partner. Even having just the three of them for two months, I long for those 2 months to be over. I love them and they are really good kids but I'd ALWAYS prefer child-free.
Welcome to me. 35 and literally at that age where wife and I have to decide
Well, definitely ignore people who say 'you only regret the things you don't do' as that's a load of old manure.
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I do not want my own children. My older sisters each have three kids, both 1 boy and 2 girls. My nieces and nephews are my entire world. But i would never want to parent full time
Amen to that. Why would I want to suffer through pregnancy and childbirth (being a transgender man), end up with a little alien-looking thing that will cause me to never sleep well again and leak fluids everywhere, and then have to raise a child through the various stages of being headstrong and hormonal for the next 18+ years when I could just have a bunch of fluffy cats?
I have three kids and absolutely love them and being a parent. My parents were just the worst though. Really did some things that screwed me over for life. Yet, having kids gave me a new perspective. It made things worse between myself and parents. You feel so much love for them when they are born and it makes you angry your parents didn’t treat you better. If you don’t believe you could love your kids then don’t have any. That’s mostly what it comes down too.
I once heard someone say "I'm too selfish to have kids" I think that's a great thing to understand about yourself, and a good reason not to be a parent. For me, I never had any experience with, or affinity for babies or kids, but knew that I wanted them. Once I had my own, it all clicked. Being a parent, without question, is the best thing I've ever done. But it does totally changes your life.
Load More Replies... I sometimes wonder if there are others like me. Always thought, growing up, that I'd have children, got older and had different relationships, never felt any "urge" to have kids. I kept being told, "wait till your biological clock kicks in", it never did. Finally ended up with someone who didn't want children and was happier with them than I'd ever been in my life. Still felt no need for children of my own and so, it never happened. I'm happy with that. But I do sometimes think that if I'd ended up with someone else, I might have had kids!
I never felt the need to. Near 50yo and the happiest person I know. Go d**k!
30 F and married. I've always known I haven't wanted kids, I just can't see how they would enhance my life - horrible I know. I do have severe guilt though that this is my opinion
Don't guilt yourself over not wanting children! There is nothing wrong with that decision - it is a very good decision, if it is the right one for you!
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Aye, that train has sailed here. Which is just as well seeing as I have no real interest in raising a baby.
There are people who have children because they feel they have to, who live their entire lives regretting it. Sometimes (obviously not always) those people neglect their children. Or otherwise treat them poorly in some ways or other. I used to work in a kindergarten and some stories veteran colleauges told me were disheartening. Not to mention both parentes can experience depression due to the huge life-changes that having a baby can bring. It's not for everyone, please don't have children if it's not what you want for yourself. ❤️
Please, please, please don't have kids if you don't want them. For their sakes and yours. Be the BEST god-parent, aunt/uncle, friend to anyone else's kids but don't have them yourself.
Why do they have to be involved with other kids? Childfree have lives as well.
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And that's totally fine. No one should feel pressured into having kids. It's not for everyone
Then don’t! Only have kids when your willing to sacrifice your sanity, wealth and time. I love my kids, would do anything for them. But it takes effort. I admire people who say: not for me!
helped raise my nephews. 3 boys. 1st grandchild is on it's way. then friends have kids... I am more than happy to be the uncle that is there when no one else is.. Cheaper to help raise the kids in the Family...
Childless is my comfort zone. No bliss, no despair. Very very glad for all of the wonderful people who reproduce and raise the good humans. Thank you!
Recently we had highschool reunion. One guy was getting married right after graduation, since his gf was pregnant. He's grandad already.
If you don't want to be a parent, don't. It's not a virtue to either have or not have kids.
I find this one difficult to comment on. While I absolutely respect anyone's right to make this choice, it makes me very sad when I hear so many kids in their 20s declare with absolute certainty that they will never have children. I get that there may be situations that make you feel that way--fir example, if you were raised in an very abusive home and feel it is the only way to end the cycle of violence--but too often it seems to be because these kids have been taught that humanity is irredeemably evil and the world is doomed. I'm old enough to have lived through many, many end of the world predictions, and we're all still here. Just keep an open mind, and an open heart.
Why are you sad about someone else’s decision on the way they want their lives to go? 🤷♂️
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Ditto for me turning 33 next month and I have no desire to have kids, my brother is the same meanwhile my sister has 2 the first born when she was 18.
It can certainly feel like "all" but honestly I have found it's not as many as it seems like if you take a step back, and even if your group of friends really is "all" having kids (or planning to) know that many MANY people are living happy childless lives, and a good amount of them are well past the age of having kids, meaning they made a decision and are happy with it. There are certainly malcontents on both sides, and it can be hard not to have regrets even if you know you made the right choice for you, but I think most people who plan and stick to it end up happier for it. That said, it's okay to change your mind whichever side of having kids you end up on, but please don't get talked into it for someone else's reasons. (Edit: my decision was to have kids, and I am glad I do, but it absolutely has had challenges).
Sinhle at 43... There are times I think about having getting married and having kids, family. Then reality hits.
At least YOU know it's a total life change. Amazing how many i****s are surprised.
This has been my mindset since my early teens, and I'm almost 35 now. Can't see myself changing it, ever. "No kids"-feelings run too deep...
Being a parent (both kids are grown ups now) has made Life crazier, yes, but also immeasurably Sweeter & more worthwhile. But I also agree that anyone who's not Totally up for it & excited at the prospect shou)d skip taking on the immense responsibility & financial load of raising other human beings. Less suffering that way, for all involved. For those who end up w/ children anyway, please realize that situation was not the child's fault, nor choice. My parents were 19 & 23, had dated for a few mos & I guess Dad didn't like condoms..I'm SO Glad I waited till 27 to have kids. It sucked to grow up feeling resented for merely existing. We need sex ed in high schools. Children need to feel wanted & safe.
You life will one day change completely whether you have children or not.
Than please don't, you've got your own life and how to fill it, no need to be like others, you're you and that's perfectly fine too
The world has a need for fun aunts and uncles, and it's a much more fun vocation. What the world does not need is gazillions of parents
Possibly a partner and all the money you didn't spend on having kids, AND having kids is no guarantee someone will be there for you later.
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The problem is that if you're not sure about wanting kid, it's a lot better not having any and regret it, than it is having some and regret it. In the first scenario you're at most f*****g up your own life, while you risk so much more harm and damage to a lot of people if you end in the last category..
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I'll never leave the solar system on a multi-generational colony ship headed for another star. There's just no way, bro.
Is anybody going to casually ask the aliens if they want us there? Just showing up there seems a bit disrespectful
Becoming famous
I’ve thought about it and decided it’s not good.
I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of avoiding it, for which I’m proud of myself.
Flying a plane. I am colorblind thus I cannot get a pilots license.
I personally find it ironic since people with my specific brand of color blindness were roped into the Air Force in WW2 because they could distinguish German camouflage from the skies.
I didn't know that! I'm partially colorblind. I'm scared of planes anyways tho lol
deep sea diving. i have extreme thalassophobia. no thanks
Is it called that because it's "thalass" thing you'd ever do? Seems logical...
Ride a moose.
But imagine just how majestic you'd look.
I'll probably never be president. Statistically it's unlikely, and regardless of how you feel about the current one, it's a pretty stressful job, so I'm not sure I'd want to even if I had the option.
I'm an arachnophobe, so both Brazil and Australia are definitely on my anti-bucket list.
I don't think I'm going to find "the one".
remember, sometimes love comes at unexpected times, bad times even. I believe you don't need love to be happy! <3
Throwing a fragmentation grenade.
I know I could do it, but too often I've thrown things somewhere and accidentally hit something not supposed to hit. I'd have too much fear that I'd just yeet that thing 3m in front of me instead of far away.
There is a special technique when throwing a hand grenade. It's not actually thrown like a base ball or tossed as seen in movies. You use your arm more like a trebuchet. If you just so happen to be left-handed, like myself, you hold the grenade upside-down. The standard M67 grenade weights about one pound. It may not seem like much, but it does not take long to tire your arm after throwing a few. Throwing one is not that exciting, once again as seen on t.v. For one, there is no dramatic fireball. Secondly, you don't see it explode for obvious reasons (shrapnel to the face).
Being able to retire (having enough money to retire). Living to retirement age.
I will not write a bestselling novel or paint a picture that sells for over $10,000. Doesn't take the fun out of it tho.
I've both owned a Harley-Davidson and served in the Navy without getting any tattoos. Nope. The ink ain't gonna happen.
I wanted a stamp on my passport before I turned 30.
...I hope I have a stamp on my passport before I turn 40.
I always wanted to ride a bull. You know, the whole 8 seconds out of the chute, hanging on for dear life.
And there’s a time I definitely could have done it. I had hands like a pair of vice grips, and my bones seemed to be indestructible. Not so much anymore. Suddenly, since about 34 years old, I can sneeze the wrong way and feel it in my back for a week. And now there’s a kiddo on the way? Nah. I can’t go smashing myself to bits on a bull. I’ll stick to a bicycle.
Boy, this list would be huge. But #1 is being crazy rich. You know, soccer players level of richness. Even if I managed to get this amount of money, I feel like living in high society must be so tiring, I don't want to experience this lol
Ride a bike. I just turned 30 47 minutes ago and feel way to embarrassed to try and learn now.
I taught an adult to ride a bike a few years ago. Took the pedals off, lowered the seat so that she could put both feet on the ground, had her push off and just glide in an empty parking lot. When she felt confident gliding longer distances after a few weeks, we raised the seat a little, put the pedals back on and she added pedalling into the mix.
I wanted to be a fighter jet pilot for almost my entire life. I work on fighter jets as ground crew on the exact platform I grew up wanting to fly. Some days it really gets me down, but I've mostly accepted my life wouldn't be where it is had I had completed going that route. I'm really happy where I'm at so it's bittersweet some days.
I won't have a romantic night out on the town with Emma Watson.
Become a father. It's heartwrenching if I sit & think about it, so I try not to.
It sounds like this is something OP really wanted. There are a lot of ways to be a father that don’t involve the traditional way. Fostering, adopting, stepchildren. Or there are a ton of ways to make a difference in children’s lives. Coaching sports, mentor programs, volunteer work. Hugs to OP.
Playing a professional sport. It sucks cause it was a big part of my life in high school and college but I never had any delusions I'd go pro.
I will never eat frogs legs or snails. Even tho I live in 🇫🇷.
I ate frog legs before. They were actually good. Then I thought about it about a week later. So if you do eat them just don't think about it.
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Stuff to not do, now that I'm a bit over 70: Climb till exhausted. Walk on hot coals or lava. Play LADY OF SPAIN on accordion. Go flat broke. Support political reactionaries. Sing falsetto. Tame a wild predatory animal. Whittle.
I have bungy jumping, free climbing & riding roller coasters on my anti-bucket list
I will also never go free climbing, or bungy jumping. I love roller coasters though.
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I think some people misunderstood what a " bucket list" is, it's stuff you want to do before you die. So an "anti bucket list" is stuff you have no interest in trying. No interest in skydiving? Yes. Not making a million dollars? That counts more as what you won't be able to do, not what you have no interest in. Who doesn't want at least a little more money?
Going to university. Nearly 40 and still can't write an essay or anything like that to save my life. I got through high school by acing the short answer questions in exams.
If you want to write an essay it's simple, come up with a topic, 3 points to support your topic, let's say you wanna write about why you should get a dog, point 1: they are fun, point 2: they are cute, point 3: they are fluffy. There you have your essay planned, your going to have a total of 5 paragraphs of this essay, start your introduction simply by introducing your topic by saying "Dogs are something everyone should have for several reasons" then introduce your points so say something like "One of these reasons is dogs are fun and this is beneficial for people" I don't remember what my point was so if that wasn't it forgive me, then then introduce your second point, "Another reason is..." then the third point, restate your topic now "there are many reasons why people should have dogs" there is your introduction and layout for your conclusion. For the conclusion paragraph for the first and last sentence in the conclusion use words like "therefore" and "in conclusion" because
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Some of these really miss the whole concept. It is not about what you would want, but can't...
I'll never own an iPhone, go cave diving or watch a Hallmark channel movie. Nope. Never.
Eating sushi frogs or snails. I had food poisoning from raw meat once so I will never ever ever eat sushi.
This is a stupid list. Most are things that nobody will do or is even possible. Step foot on another planet! Wtf. Win a gold medal! So dumb
My anti bucket list: mountain climb. Have a kid. Get a Twitter account. Take all honors like i (an idiot) did in middle school. Stay in this country at legal adulthood if I have the funds to move out.
Another fun BP post. Honestly, I mean it. A lot of things to think about. Most of these things make me feel like I've failed at life, somehow.
Why there are such an unreasonable unrealistic options? Like living on another planet or leaving solar system on some hyperspace colony thingy? The first is not going to happen in 10-20 years, the latter probably in 100 years.
Honestly I think it'd be cool to do all those things sadly I probably will never have a chance but I'd love too
Load More Replies... I do have an anti bucket list but I call it my to f*ck with it list.
I will never eat frogs legs or snails. Even tho I live in 🇫🇷.
I ate frog legs before. They were actually good. Then I thought about it about a week later. So if you do eat them just don't think about it.
Load More Replies... Stuff to not do, now that I'm a bit over 70: Climb till exhausted. Walk on hot coals or lava. Play LADY OF SPAIN on accordion. Go flat broke. Support political reactionaries. Sing falsetto. Tame a wild predatory animal. Whittle.
I have bungy jumping, free climbing & riding roller coasters on my anti-bucket list
I will also never go free climbing, or bungy jumping. I love roller coasters though.
Load More Replies... I think some people misunderstood what a " bucket list" is, it's stuff you want to do before you die. So an "anti bucket list" is stuff you have no interest in trying. No interest in skydiving? Yes. Not making a million dollars? That counts more as what you won't be able to do, not what you have no interest in. Who doesn't want at least a little more money?
Going to university. Nearly 40 and still can't write an essay or anything like that to save my life. I got through high school by acing the short answer questions in exams.
If you want to write an essay it's simple, come up with a topic, 3 points to support your topic, let's say you wanna write about why you should get a dog, point 1: they are fun, point 2: they are cute, point 3: they are fluffy. There you have your essay planned, your going to have a total of 5 paragraphs of this essay, start your introduction simply by introducing your topic by saying "Dogs are something everyone should have for several reasons" then introduce your points so say something like "One of these reasons is dogs are fun and this is beneficial for people" I don't remember what my point was so if that wasn't it forgive me, then then introduce your second point, "Another reason is..." then the third point, restate your topic now "there are many reasons why people should have dogs" there is your introduction and layout for your conclusion. For the conclusion paragraph for the first and last sentence in the conclusion use words like "therefore" and "in conclusion" because
Load More Replies... Some of these really miss the whole concept. It is not about what you would want, but can't...
I'll never own an iPhone, go cave diving or watch a Hallmark channel movie. Nope. Never.
Eating sushi frogs or snails. I had food poisoning from raw meat once so I will never ever ever eat sushi.
This is a stupid list. Most are things that nobody will do or is even possible. Step foot on another planet! Wtf. Win a gold medal! So dumb
My anti bucket list: mountain climb. Have a kid. Get a Twitter account. Take all honors like i (an idiot) did in middle school. Stay in this country at legal adulthood if I have the funds to move out.
Another fun BP post. Honestly, I mean it. A lot of things to think about. Most of these things make me feel like I've failed at life, somehow.
Why there are such an unreasonable unrealistic options? Like living on another planet or leaving solar system on some hyperspace colony thingy? The first is not going to happen in 10-20 years, the latter probably in 100 years.
Honestly I think it'd be cool to do all those things sadly I probably will never have a chance but I'd love too
Load More Replies... I do have an anti bucket list but I call it my to f*ck with it list.
