After we posted "The Secret Regrets of 20-something Women" from Kevin Hansen's bestselling book, "Secret Regrets: What if you had a Second Chance?" many of you asked, "What about the men?" We checked, and apparently guys do have a lot of regrets. So we went straight to the source: Hansen's site includes regrets anonymously submitted from people of all ages, and all walks of life, from all over the world. We asked him, exactly what are 20-something men regretting? Turns out it's a lot of the same stuff we do.
"Many of the men's regrets share similarities with the women's," he told us. "They regret relationships gone bad, not being able to say what they really feel, not ending up with the one they truly loved, or hurting someone who cared about them."
Below you'll find a whole host of manly regrets. And if you ever doubted that men had real feelings, this will change your mind. Read on ... you never know if one was written for you.
And be sure to check back here every Monday. We'll be sharing one new, top-secret regret each week on Lemondrop.
The Biggest Regrets of 20-Something Men
1. I regret never having the balls to tell you how I really felt about you. If I had of just told you. You would have told me you loved me too. But instead I had to find out from your best friend after your funeral. You were truly the most beautiful, amazing, smart person I have ever met. I miss you so much. The words I never said will haunt me until the day I die. -- Male, 20
2. I regret that I spent the last 8 years feeling sorry for myself and living within my own fear and insecurities rather than being the man she needed me to be. Perhaps if I had opened my eyes sooner she'd never have loved him, and never would have to be in this place where we both admit she settled for me, because she couldn't have him, and though I love her more than life, the returned emotion isn't the same from her, and may never be, because I blew it a long time ago.
I only hope now that it isn't too late and I can fix it. -- Male, age unknown
3. I regret breaking up with you. The only reason I did it was because I was so convinced that you were going to leave me for him and I didn't want that happening again. I thought it would be better to leave you before you could hurt me. It was stupid and selfish and cowardly. I get that now. We've been broken up for a year now. Nothing ever happened between you and him. I know I made a huge mistake. If I thought you would react positively, I would have started trying to get you back months ago. But I know you'd say no. I don't blame you. But I'd do anything to be your boyfriend again. I messed up. I'm so sorry. I still love you. And the sad thing is, even if you do happen to see this, you'll have no idea that it's me writing about you. -- Male, 22
4. I regret not being more of a man when I was 16. If I'd been stronger for her when she told me she was pregnant, then maybe she wouldn't have taken the life of herself and our unborn child. Exactly ten years later, and I've sabotaged every relationship I've had since. I regret that I've hurt so many beautiful, sensitive women by being unable to make real the emotions I feign. I WANT the emotions, but I can't have a future with anyone, because I can't help but see her face and that of our daughter that never was. Lily would have been so pretty. -- Male, 26
5. From the moment I saw you I knew I loved you. All I want is you for the rest of my life. My greatest hope and regret is just that. Because that's not what you want. And it kills me everyday. But I can't leave, I won't leave. I would rather have random amazing moments with you only once in a while than not be with you. I know that there is someone out there that can make me happy all of the time but I want you.... just you. I regret that I'm not that person for you. -- Male, 27
6. I regret the lie. I regret not coming to you and saying "I screwed up, let me try again." like I should have. I wanted to make you proud, instead, I made you leave. -- Male, 27
7. I was there when the doctor told you about the cancer. I held your hand as you cried and screamed, "I don't want to die." We shared more after that than ever. I loved the time we spent. I'll never regret that ... But I do regret running when it got bad. You didn't know me. And it hurt. I regret practically living with my girlfriend whom you didn't approve of. We're apart now. I regret the day hospice came the most. Because I left the house and didn't come back that night ... And you didn't live to see me the next day. I regret abandoning you in your final days. I miss you and love you Mom. -- Male, 24
8. I don't regret giving you a second chance in my life because I loved you from the first moment we met. Really, I just wanted a chance to be told in person that you did not love me anymore, you could have put me first for once, rather than being such a coward. I regret that I was so easily disposable to you and that's what still hurts a year later. -- Male, 27
9. I regret getting married. I hate to admit it or make her sound insignificant, but I settled for her. She was my first girlfriend and I assumed I would never find anyone else. Because I settled and married I knocked down the first domino in a series of regrets. Because I settled and married I ended up divorced. Because of the divorce I am in debt more than I was before. Because of being in debt I can't afford to see my family as much as I want. I will always hate myself for making that mistake. -- Male, age unknown
10. I wish that I could erase the memory that you were in love with my best friend while you were going out with me. I knew long before you even told me. Now we are so in love and we've totally worked through all of that but it still kills me. It eats me up inside. -- Male, 25
11. I regret letting you go. I didn't realize that you were the best thing I could hope for and that we were perfect for each other, and so I didn't realize what I was letting go. Now I am afraid that I let go of the one person that I am supposed to be with, and that you will marry your boyfriend. That scares me to death. -- Male, 20
12. If I had a second chance to do ONE thing differently in my life, I would have let go of the idea of having a real father in my life. I would have stopped asking and seeking his attention and love. I would have stopped looking for him to save me from the life I had. I would have realized that he had a new life with his other children and new girlfriend. I would have let go, moved on and been happy. I would have realized that there was nothing wrong with me. IT WAS ALL HIM. -- Male, 24
13. I regret ever having doubted us. I regret I didn't give you all of me. I regret coming from fear, when the whole time telling you not to. I regret I let you down. I regret I can't stop writing you when I know I'll never see a response. I regret not staying in school and giving up my goals to create a life with you when all it took was some fat ugly coworker to put us in question. I regret letting myself fall so madly in love with you. -- Male, age 20
14. I regret that I let our past ruin our future. Everything about my life is perfect, with the exception of the emptiness that can only be filled by you. I thought I would stop thinking about you after a few months; it's been over a year and I still think about you every single day. I dream about you more often than I care to admit. I would give anything to make things different. I regret that I can't. More than anything, I regret that I took us for granted and that, now, I may never get to propose with the ring I bought you. -- Male, 21
15. I regret that I didn't finish him. -- Male, 25
16. I regret the intense feeling of confusion I felt and continue to feel stemming from meeting the girl of my dreams while cheating on you. I feel confused because were it not for treating you badly, I would not be as happy as I am now, though if we hadn't gone out in the first place, I would have so much to learn about the world and how relationships work. I cannot ask for forgiveness, and I cannot simply wish it away. I hope you are well. -- Male, age 20
17. I regret that I can't bring myself to tell you how I truly feel, out of fear I'll lose you completely. I regret that it's completely impossible for anyone to compare to you, and I may be alone forever because of it. I regret not expressing my feelings earlier, before we became so close, so I wouldn't have to see you as a friend every day while endlessly longing for more. I regret that you don't see yourself as the gorgeous, incredible woman you are - and that I didn't have the balls to tell you exactly that, regardless of who may have been around. I do not, however, regret passing on the others that were interested in me. It wouldn't have been fair, to them, to you, to me. You hold the only key to my heart already, I just wish I could find a way to tell you without risking the friendship we have. -- Male, 24












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Wednesday 06 October
By SameRegret
To the male 24 who left his mom..I know exactly how you feel. I think about it every day, how i left my mom when she got very bad. What I need you to know is that you simply could not do it, and she wouldn't have wanted you to put yourself through the pain of seeing her fade away. No one will ever know how you feel unless they have been in your shoes, don't let anyone make you feel like you failed because you didn't.
Reply
Friday 08 October
By Debbie
I thank God that I am still blessed with my Mom. I can not imagine the torture you lived with. One thought came to my mind though when I read your confession. Maybe your Mom was waiting for you to leave. Maybe she didn't want the pain of having her son watch her die. Maybe you did exactly what you needed to do to let her go the way she wanted to go. I think you are an incredible man for admitting your guilt.
Friday 08 October
By lizbeth
Having been in his shoes. I am sorry, but he needs to live with that regret and never let it happen again. Hopefully, he has learned not to emotionally abandon anyone ever again when they are dying. This "I can't handle it" attitude is no excuse. I'm sure his mother undesrstood; and if he honored her while she was living, that is enough. But what he did shows a complete lack of character, and he needs to learn from that.
Friday 08 October
By mary
to the young man who is sad about not being able to be there for his mom at the end of her life--- she understood and you were not meant to be in that inner circle at the end. You weren't meant to be there. Everyone has a role and a place when a parent dies and your role was a different one. Both my parents died when I was younger, and there were many children and close family and friends hurting in both situations. My Mom's passing involved hospice and the situation sounds similar to yours. We talked about her "inner circle" prior to her death, a term I had never heard prior. A few of my siblings were among the iner circle- those physically present at the very end of her physical life. You weren't there and neither was I. But we were there before, and maybe the others weren't and needed to be there at the end and maybe could handle it then. Ask anyone in the medical field, and they'll tell you that people's passings can be hard to watch, very difficult. Some are meant to be there and some not. It wasn't your role. Your Mom wouldn't have wanted you there- because it would have been tough for her to see your pain there at the end. You spared her pain by not being there and letting someone else who's job it was to do so, to be there at that point. Your job was to be there at another time for her, like me. Cherish those memories and know it's okay. There are no accidents. Your timing and your Mom's inner circle there at the end was exactly the way God had intended and your Mom, to be. Let it be......Peace!
Mary
Friday 08 October
By used
Think about how hard it was for the mom!! Knowing what little time she had left and the most important person in the world is not by her side!! Your children become your life! The pain when they're not with you is unbearable, even in good times. Each one of the stories has a common theme, lack of communicating!!! If people would communicate their thoughts and feelings, ask questions and listen with an open mind it would be a different world.
Friday 08 October
By Capnkoolaid
Also to the Male 24, I lost my mother to cancer 3 years ago. I lived at the house with her but I often left, often tried to forget she was sick and just believe that God would let her be ok, that it wasn't her time. I didn't see her as much as I should have and I do regret that so I know how you feel. Honestly if it makes you feel bad then learn something from it. Be around if it ever happens again if you feel you need to. If I could I would have spent each day with my mother even if it was watching her suffer or feeder her, taking care of her, etc. It's the way to be there for them and for yourself.
Friday 08 October
By Been there
Adding to what was already said, my experience has been that they continue to exist. The real grief seems to me if they were not to exist at all after they are physically gone. My husband came to me numerous times after he died. My grandmother came to my aunt. Cold drops of water on your forehead... and when you reach up to feel it is warm and dry. There is a great book out there called "Start the conversation, a book on death and dying" All of us did our best do deal with one of the toughest experiences you can have. Forgiveness is essential. I will bet that Mom will let you know she forgives you if you ask her..
Friday 08 October
By ?????
I am very sorry about your mother. I too lost my father to Lung Cancer in 2009. I 100% disagree with the previous comment about not being able to help not being there and that it was OK. I do beleive you MUST forgive yourself and move forward because this is what your mother would want for you. I am a mother and know there is nothing a mother wants more than for her children to be happy. I do also feel this is a learning expierience and you should not just blow it off as the first comment suggested. I try to do something everyday that would make my father proud and by doing so have become a better person. God Bless you and I will pray that you are able to forgive yourself one day because I know your mother already has!
Friday 08 October
By Bo
This one broke my heart to read. I pray that this young man can heal and forgive himself for what he believes was abandoning his mother in her time of need.
Learn from this experience. Illness and death are ugly, indeed. But there is redemption waiting when we all learn to accept and forgive ourselves for being human. Our pain can heal us when we face the truth of our reality.
Friday 08 October
By rusting
You are so right. Male 24 about his mom should really listen. My mom got sick when I was 16. I stayed with her till I was 23. Then I got married to an alcoholic. The night she died, I let him talk me into leaving the hospital to go get a drink. I have NEVER got over the guilt of not being there, but I did move on. You need to, also. I'm 65 now and my life turned around for the better. I really think mom had something to do with it :) So, please, my love, you'll be ok. Mom is watching, make her proud.
Friday 08 October
By Dana
I know personally two guys who were not there when their Mothers passed away. One of them was incarcerated and lives with that terrible feeling of guilt daily. I know because I'm married to him. He was in jail paying his debt to society when his mother died of cancer. It's not something anyone can even imagine unless you yourself have experienced the loss of a loved one under such circumstances. It's been well over 9 years now, and the regret and guilt still haunt my husband. I wish had words of encouragement, something that would help, but I dont. I have learned that not even therapy can help, that it is a personal journey left up to the individual as to how they will get throught it.....
Friday 08 October
By David
That is the stuoidest reply i have ever heard! Their is no ex cuse for leaving someone you supposedly love because you 'couldn't handle it'..If you really loved them,you could have done or seen anything to make their final days as good as you could have. I am sick of wimpy people making excuses for themselves and other's because they are cowards and weakilings. People like that never know love because it just isn't in them.
Saturday 09 October
By Mara me
I am a mother. I am touched by your words. I cried. A lot. It is sad to know that you will be bothered by this for the rest of your life. I am sorry. You truly cared. Thanks for writing how you felt about your mom.
Sunday 10 October
By Mary
Unfortunately when a Mother is giving birth, she cannot run away from the pain and no one can do it for her. She bares it all and loves the child who caused it. To run away from your Mother when she is dying and you will never get another chance to touch her again, cannot be excused. So, as a Mother, I will not make excuses for this young man and he will have to live with that guilt for the rest of his life. I can imagine that his Mother would not have done that to him. It is very sad. The lesson here is that we must have the courage to face those unhappy situations that we have no control over and realize it is not all about US but about being there for those we love. It seems that he realizes this now so maybe he can give advice to others.
Tuesday 12 October
By Carrot top
To Male 24: You did not leave your mother in spirit and your mother knew that. Mother's love is so much greater than children can imagine. Only a mother knows her son so well. She knew your strengths and weaknesses and that you loved her. She knew you could not endure your pain as she was passing. Her prayer for you is to be strong and happy in the life she gave to you. Honor her by living well. You are part of each other. She smiles upon her son.
Take good care of yourself ~
Thursday 07 October
By wlknshadows
I regret none of you appear to have read Emotional Intelligence. What will you be like in twenty years?? Life is best lived as a series of experiences rather than a set of expectations. Take more risks (male age 50).
Reply
Friday 08 October
By Opihi
These guys are far too young to have the experience to really know what a regret is. Most of them are just sorry for themselves. Apart from the man grieving for his Mom. It would be far far more interesting to read the words of a man in his 50's or 60's who has lived a full life and has regrets. Then lessons might be learned.
Friday 08 October
By Dana
Not everyone reacts the same to Emotional Intelligence.
Thursday 07 October
By just thinking
As a mom of 5, I know what I would say to the 24 yr old who left his mom...
Stop beating yourself up over this. Your mom knew you loved her and that being there at the end was too hard for you. You loved her and couldn't bear to watch it happen.
Moms know things like this and you'd be doing her a disservice to believe she didn't understand. Look at the time you did spend with her and the moments you shared. That's what was important to her.
Please move past this and go on to the life she would have wanted for you. Know that you did the best you could. Because that... is all that moms ever want for their children.
Reply
Friday 08 October
By Lisa
I am a 42 year old mother of two, one being a son. I agree with what the mother above says. I'm not certain my son wouldn't do the same thing as you did. He is a wonderful son, but handling extremely emotional situations aren't his strong suit. If this had happened to me with my son I would want him to absolutely know that I know he did the best he could and couldn't possibly love him less, be disappointed or angry with him in my final hours. I would want him to forgive himself and move on to live a full life filled with love, especially love for himself.