Don't feel like an adult among other adults with kids

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The last two days I went up to Warwickshire with my dad, stepmum and my stepmum's daughter, her husband and their kids and went to visit Cadbury World and Warwick Castle and I had a good time up there but there were times when I felt inadequate because we went to places with lots of other parents and their kids and those feelings of being ''less of an adult'' were sometimes popping up. I felt more like a teenager around my parents and their kids who have kids and I am a few years younger than my stepmum's daughter and her husband. I still had those thoughts of feeling I ''should'' have had kids by now but there is still a part of me that doesn't. Their kids are 11 and 7 and think they both had them in their mid/late 20s and early 30s and were married since 2010 and during my mid/late 20s to early 30s, I have had no kids during that time and have not been in a long term relationship. My sister had her son at 26 and now she is 30 and I again even think she is ''more of an adult'' than me.

There are times when I do find it hard to enjoy things in the 30s because I seem to think that nearly everyone must have kids by now even though I clearly don't know if they have or not and that doesn't just include my sister or my stepmum's daughter and her husband but even the people I went to school and college with. It makes me feel like that stage of life isn't as free or exciting as it was in the 20s.

My three kids are in their late 20s and I still don’t feel like an adult.

I feel about 14.

Do the math lol

My kids say they parent me sometimes.

There are lots of parents who are childish and lots of people without children who are mature.

Aside from that, if you haven't had a long-term relationship, then you haven't even really had much opportunity to have a kid and so I am not sure why you are regretting something that doesn't seem like it would have happened anyway.

I don't feel like an adult among other adults - fullstop/period.

I remember a moment when my firstborn was five months old. We'd gone out to buy a bouncy chair thing and it was raining when we came home. I carried him in from the car instead of getting the car seat carrier all wet. I had him in my arms with a little baby rain jacket thing on him and I was trying to open the house door with a key without setting him down.

There was a flash of "OMG I'm actually a parent and I have to open the door to keep my baby dry and safe". I tried to process the fact it was real: I was a parent, and I wasn't just playing House or babysitting.

I've never forgotten that flash because even when I was thinking it, it didn't feel true. Almost 30 years later it still feels like I'm playing House.

I still feel like a teenager even with a wife and two children ! !

Don’t think I’ll ever grow up mentally but I’m happy with that

I get treated as a kid by adults half my age even though I would be in a much seniour position in the job.

Think it is because I am not one to talk about the weather and things like that.

Meh, so what? Maybe you're not meant to have kids of your own But you can still be a really good Uncle/role model figure to the kids in your family/social circle. Nothing wrong with that.

I really like it. I spend some time with various God kids/nephews etc here and there, but I don't have any sort of full time parenting commitments and can still work whatever odd hours I want, go to the beach often, ride my motorcycle, go kiteboarding, go to concerts, And have a higher savings rate from a lower income because I don't have kids to feed/clothe/raise.

Make the most of your situation vs. dwelling on what an "ideal perfect situation," might look like. Do what you Can with what you Have. You'll be a lot happier for it.

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