What is the most difficult life stage?

I really feel like Im struggling the most now, and what was planned for the future will take more planning and more elbow grease.....I fear the most is not seeing the end yet and how will this remold this country,because one way or another we will not be the same on how everything is done here out....

I think the teen years are the most difficult. So much peer pressure...we don't yet know who we are or what we want to be.

when i handicapped myself by living in columbus. i'm out of that stage now and my quality of of life(present and future) has risen greatly. we all learn from our mistakes.

High school! High school just plain sucked. I'm glad its over and its all uphill from here! lol :D

The years before turning 30. That's wnen most of us are at our most ignorant and stupid stage of life.

I would NOT be 21 again unless I know what I know now.

I would say teen to college grad. I say this because it was felt you HAD to be and do things a certain way...I know now that is NOT the case. But in high school you just want to fit in, find your groove.
I understand where df35 is coming from...if you're single and still trying to find your groove. Otherwise I think this is a great town to live in and raise a family. I did venture out for a few years to Lincoln...but so glad I'm back and near family and good friends! Life is what you make of it, the town does not make choices for you.

"df35-when i handicapped myself by living in columbus"

and yet your still here trying to be a part of it.

I'm sure most will say they stage of life they are in right now whatever that might be. Difficult times in our country with economy and they war overseas paints a gray sky for most. For me it comes and goes I have had some crappy years in just about every stage of life, but I have lived thru each cross I was to bear and I am always looking forward.

I am a 48/F now and life is wonderful.
Teen/high school age
I realized that life will go on even though you don't wear
the name brand clothing. Life goes on even though you
aren't the most popular.
The day I manifested my future while in high school,
was the turning point.
It was things that they found more important than me.
I didn't need that. I had a life infront of me, I never did
look back.
I am now happily married, children and grand children.
Many friends, beautiful home. The perfect life full of happiness.
You can get it, if you really want,
but you must try..try..try..

When an adolescent, one thinks that is the hardest time of life. Trying to get some independence, having to put up with our parents rules and curfews, not understanding they are for our own protection and learning. Entering the teenage years, one thinks we have the world by the tail. We don't have to pay for our wrongs and bad decisions, but yet these are good years. Learning work ethics, study skills, trying to see what it is we want to do in the future.
Now we've gotten into our late teens, 20's and 30's. Busy,, many raising families.Working, college, encountering many new obstacles in life, we didn't or couldn't comprehend in our teens. What an awakening. Instilling in our childeren the same things we thought our parents were doing to make our own lives a living hell.
Now I have gotten to midlife. To me that is the 50's. At this point i believe this has as yet been the most challenging. My childeren are raised. Had to go through the empty nest syndrome. Lost both parents. Makes one feel like an orphan. This is when you start wishing there was a way to turn back the clock.
In this time frame, also lost my spouse. It is during these years, one wonders can it get any worse. Ofcourse it can, but at times you think not. But life goes on.
I do not know what the future holds. My father always said if we did,, we'd be to damn*d scared to go on. How true. I do miss that wise man.
I have met a new person who i hope will be in my life through the rest of my time on this earth. Be able to tackle whatever is to be thrown our way, together.
I am concerned as to what the next 20 years will bring. With all the turmoil in this world. The changing of our small town ways. The economy going down the crapper. Not knowing if there will be any kind of financial assistance available when we reach the age we will need it most..i.e. SSI...
Life to this point has had several ups and downs,, challenging, yes. But everything happens for a reason, and it makes us what we are today. I have my parents, childeren, and loved ones to thank for that.
I can honestly say that the next stage of my life will be the most challenging. The not knowing what to expect. But i love challenges, so got my sleeves rolled up, and rready for round four....

I think the hardest life stage is when you are the "middle" of the sandwich generation. A couple trying to raise thier children while taking care of the needs of their parents can overwhelm just about anyone. Now, with a lot of people losing thier jobs- how are they supposed to take care of themselves let alone their parent(s). I have my mother-in-law staying with us and while she is in good health, she is just not making good decisions, so my husband is forced to almost treat her like one of the kids.
Teenagers have it easy. I can say that now being a teenager once myself. The best time of my life was right after college- living in a rental- hardly a care or responsibilty in the world. No kids-no spouse- no mortgage. Sure- I would never trade what I have now for a million years- just all part of growing up and living and enjoying life.

dieing....

For me it was high school. I made a bunch of poor decisions but luckily none that would change my life forever. I did have my share of close calls. I knew so many people who ruined their life by making poor decisions. I would like to do high school all over again but man oh man would I do things much different. Would not worry much about what grades I got as long as I pass. Would like to stay away from the crowd I was in for sure.

I am in my late 50's and have loved every stage of my life. Yes, some where more difficult than others but at the time I loved them too. Live as if each day were your last and enjoy the moment now. It's the journey in getting to the destination that makes life. Thank you God for the wonderful memories I have and hopefully more tomorrows to make new ones.

life has been a battle for me.Back in my school days it was hard because I have A.D.D.When you can read the words but forget what you just read,it is hard to get good grades.I don't want to get in to that only to say I passed all my grades and graduated.Married at 18 and a father.You had to keep a job to support a family.Well, if you were any kind of person,you worked.In ten short years,we had six children.You really had to work at anything you could to make extra money to survive.We have raised all our children but one that died way to young.I am retired and my wife still works.life is still hard from being disabled but I don't complain.We live in the land of the free.Oppertunity is there for those who want to tackle it.My dad always taught us kids to work hard at what you do and treat others as you want to be treated.LIFE is what YOU make of it.GOD BLESS this country.THINGS WILL be good again for those hit hard right now.

I would say the Middle School years and first 2 years of high school. Especially, in the public school system. It was easy to fall into the wrong crowd sometimes and date the wrong people. Looking back in Columbus, everyone seemed a lot more judgmental there too. As soon as you start figuring out who you are, or maybe not even that, maybe what you want/need, things start to fall into place. Sometimes its unfortunate events like being unemployed but you sometimes need those for the big picture. Its like that song "unanswered prayers" by Garth Brooks.

so far life hasn't been very bad.My dad always said I was lucky.I was born a twin.Dad said he told mom they just couldn't afford to feed two more mouths so pick out the one you want to keep.The other I will have to drownd.He told me I was so lucky!You could swim as soon as you hit the water.

i am in the hardest stages of my life right now and i see the next few years to be even worse. I am divorced with my last child leaving home soon. I see myself all alone from here on out.

The 50's is the most challenging for me. I worry about my five children more now that they're all grown and on their own.
Hoping they are as successful and blessed with good fortune and health as my husband and I have been.

The hardest time of my life was the last five to ten years before retirement, it got progressively harder to physically make it through the work day.
Of course the two times I got dumped by wives weren't a picnic either.
If high school is the worst time in someone's life, then yes, life will be uphill all the way from there. It should be downhill from there on.
After reading most of the entries, it appears to me too few children grew up in a good family atmosphere.
They paid more attention to their friends than their parents.
To give one a little idea where I'm coming from, the easiest job I ever had in my life was driving truck.

How can anyone know which phase of life was the hardest until life is complete? What one might think is the most difficult right now, may be looked back years from now as "aw, that was nothing". Life is full of many challenges. Each to add a chapter to this book called LIFE and make us stronger.

I have to agree with "just wunderin" You never know until it's over. I would have said that my two son's teenage years were the most challenging for me. My wife and I, of 27 years now, struggled through the teenage years of our two boys and we tended to focus more on them then on us, which caused much stress in our relationship as well. My wife and I love our boys, but we show it in different ways as a father's relationship with his sons will always be different than a Mother/Son relationship. I really looked forward to this time in our lives though, when both boys have their own places, and my wife and I can spend some quality time with each other, communicate together with less distractions, and re-energize that fire between us. Unfortunately an old high school flame, living and working in your town of Columbus, recently was divorced from his wife and apparently decided that one divorce wasn't enough for him. So he looked up my wife and, as the smooth operator that he seems to be, has convinced her to run away on a vacation with him later this month. I love my wife, in spite of all the hardships that we have gone through, and I mistakenly thought that the withdrawal lately was due to having an empty nest, boy was I wrong. I know am certainly not without my faults and have made plenty of mistakes in our relationship, but I would have to say that right now, as I am turning 50, this situation has become my most challenging ever. Having to step back and watch the woman I love make, what is to me, a huge mistake. But we all have free will to make choices, right or wrong. I cannot force anyone to change their choices, but I do not have to remain silent either. And I read that your city is a community of caring people with manners and commitment to family. I guess it doesn't apply to all of you.

Why didn't you print my blog. You are just like the rest of them. "If you dont talk about it then it didn't happen, or its just to nasty to think about. Well think about it because its real, its there, and children cant defend themsevles. Even if they tell 3 adults. A child needs help dealing with it, if not, they suffer forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i love a girl, but still filled with fear that i have not reach the stage