Funny. Today I brought my granddaughter to a playground. There were a group of boys between the ages of 9 and maybe 12. They weren't happy at all. Each one was boasting how strong he is, till the entire thing escalated and they started going at each other with sticks. I grabbed my grandbaby and left, …leaving them on their own.

On the way home I thought what age is actually the happiest age?

Although I had a happy protected childhood, I always felt I was missing out on something, and the competition between classmates was sometimes hard to bear.

I suppose around 21 to 25 was a fine time, although I often mooned about where that special man is for me.

Some of my happiest times were when my children were little, and we did a lot of family outings. But then, children do get sick, and a mother's heart gets sick with worry. So was that time all that happy? I was often under a great deal of stress, chauffering my kids around to all their extra-curricular activities. Now come on…was it all that much fun? No, don't think so.

When my children finally made their way in their careers, I was happy and very relieved that those concerns were over with. So I guess I could say at this point in my life I'm the happiest. My husband and I have done our best in raising our boys. Our family is intact and everyone is healthy. Yes, I'm pretty happy…but who knows how long it will last.

Oh hush busy brain…just relax and enjoy.

Interesting question, Hannelore.

I would like to be able to say "NOW", but I don't know if that is true. So much going on that is difficult in life for me right now, yet at the same time, I am a happy person.

I think happiness is adaptable. It depends on how much we are willing to accept what is happening in life and go for the happiness that you can find.

Oh, was that a non answer?

I'm with you Anno. My first thought was NOW. To me happinest is a choice we make...but I think what you're asking is when were we FULL of the happiness, at what time in our lives...right?

I can honestly say that I LOVED being pregnant, both times. I loved when they boys were born, and the first 5 or 6 years of their lives were heavenly. Not that the rest weren't. But when "society" (i.e., school) came into the picture and became a large part of our day to day, it became harder.

I can also remember playing outside of my parents home when I was about five or six...playing at the huge tree trunks, making roads, etc...that was so much fun!

There have been so many times in my life when happiness drove the moment, or moments/hours/days. I would need a much larger area than this to recount them all; thank goodness!

When Mom was alive...32 years ago. When we were all at home with no jobs to worry about. No spouses to complain about. No boyfriends to cry over.

A wonderful childhood I had!

Like JJ - being pregnant was one of my happiest "times" but I'm with Hannelore - the happiest "age" would be now - in my mid 50's.

I like who I'm growing up to be. I like knowing that I can set boundaries and I have the right to say NO !

(and recently) because of my two boys I have peace in my life that I thought only existed in fairytales.

Travis, Ashley and Belle - who brought me back from the abyss and Robert - who then showed me the path back to God

DIFFERENT KINDS OF HAPPINESS.
1953
A day when the afternoon was spent with family and friends who all travelled together IN A CATTLE FLOAT to Shell Bay.a beach where we were safe happy and all together.
1954
We hired a coach and went to Loch Lomond.Sailed on the loch and picniced.Everyone was there I knew.
1958
Going to High School and being with friends and home was a place of safety and optimism
1963
One saturday walking home from extra overtime and feeling the World was waiting for me.My future was encapsulated in that day when I had energy love and faith
1966
married soon to be pregnant
1967
My daughter was born.Everyday since I have had happiness
1970
My son was born and there I was with family to take picnics...not a cattle float or coach.
Alas between times I have days of sorrow loosing oved ones and place we shared.My husbands illness being the saddest.
But still I have happiness.
I say Grace for our food.I trust and search out the right Doctors.I admire many people.

Reaching 60 I said to myself "If I dont know now what life is about something must be wrong" I vowed to live each day well.
Mountain ash
Dont get me wrong I am not being smug but I have today..my husband is here and we want for nothing.

I Remember

I remember when
everyone I knew
Was there with me
I could touch them

Most of all I remember
Watching… looking at hands
Doing tasks.. using tools
Making meals

The sounds of home
As much as the scene
And scents of gardens
And scents of rooms

I drive past now and then
But alas the heart has gone
Those favoured above all others
Are missing from that hearth

Yet there in a blink of an eye
I see new hands doing other things
I have moved up a notch
In the family tree

Yes I remember
when everyone I loved
was there beside me
and I could touch them

Its been so long my memories are fading away of those days when everyone I loved was near and I could touch them, and that makes me very sad.

This will be a strange answer but I was, and I am, happiest when single! I am a married woman who loves her husband. My husband has no faults I can complain about really and he is a good person and a good husband. I love him, as I said. Still, I am happy single. I have my happiest memories single.
This is because I don't do marriage very well. I tend to have a hard time in marriage, in the whole idea and definition of marriage. It's hard to explain.
I just have the happiest memories when I have been living alone or with a roomate! I would just die if my marriage broke up or if something happened to my husband but I can't relax while married.
I work on this a lot and have gotten a lot better. I am giving myself more time to do what I want and to follow my own muse. In the beginning of my first marriage I was so co-dependent that I couldn't find myself with a magnifying glass! I lived and breathed for the marriage.
Again, I 'm working one it.
Lastly, every single preformance I am in heaven. I love preforming and have had a life of special shows and television and videos that are, every single on of them, a happy, happy time. I love my job. I am winding down now but I did what i loved and that was thrilling.
dancer9

The happiest times are when we are camping. No phones, no tv's, just us and the critters. While looking at old photos the other day, my best memories are of our family camping trips. The kids learning to fish and snorkle, seeing the looks in their eyes when we would spot wild deer running through the campground and wild turkeys, otters swimming in the springs. One of the best of all was one year while camping we befriended an egret who had been named Edgar. Another lady at the campground fishing next to us said he started coming around and standing close by while she was fishing. Well, he came while we were there, stood and waited on the bank of the canal and waited for his breakfast. We gave all the small fish to Edgar, let's just say that was one well fed bird.

Then there were the trips to the Florida Keys, they were great. Once again, seeing the kids snorkeling around the reefs, my son is a natural, that is definitely his domain.
Our first trip was when he was I think 7, we went on one of those afternoon snorkeling excursions, when we reached our destination and everyone else had their life jackets on, my son, yes Mr. Daredevil himself, jumped right in, no life jacket or vest of any kind. The captain almost had a cardiac. I told him not to worry, my son is part fish! I thought we'd never get him back in the boat. I remember when my daughter Sara first spotted a very large barracuda, that was uh? Exciting? A little unsettling, but he didn't hang around. Yes, we are all nature nuts. Hey, does anyone remember Acorn The Nature Nut Show a few years back, that was one of Matt's favorites.
Yes, those are the happiest times I can remember.

gerrbeck, your story about your son reminds me of something my daughter once did. We were vacationing in the Cayman Islands. Went on a boat trip to swim with the stingrays. It's a very touristy this to do. All of us were busy getting on our gear and couldnt' find our daughter. We searched the boat and then looked overboard. There she was swimming away on her own with all her gear on. I still can't figure out how it happened. Fortunately, she was a great swimmer so the panic was over, but I almost had a cardiac while searching for her.

It's so odd that this topic is now in the forums. Just a couple days ago, while visiting our youngest in Florida, hubby started talking with me about his best years. We were reminiscing about when the kids were young and he said his 30s were his best years. That is when the kids were elementary school age and we were most involved with their lives. Those were indeed the good old days.

It's very hard for me to say when I was the happiest. I was blessed with a carefree childhood where life was a ball in and out of school. Our neighborhood was the absolute best. There were tons of kids and always some kind of game going on.

My 20s were fun becasue that's wehn I got married and had many years without kids so we did lots of fun trips together. However, it was also when we went through years of infertility which I wouldn't want to repeat.

I also enjoyed the years the kids lived at home because I was a SAHM and embraced my job at that time.

Now that the kids are coming and going, mostly gone, I am embracing this time too. It's a fun time to be a couple again with hubby. And it's fun to do more on the spur of the moment which wasn't always easy to do when we had five schedules to consider.

gerrbeck, some of my best memories are from our family vacations. I get such a kick out of looking at the old photos.