How old were your kids when you had your 'easiest' year of parenting?

[blackandwhitecat]

Used to hate it when I first had children and people used to say, 'Don't worry, it just gets harder,' and though it does and it doesn't I now find myself saying this to other new parents. My dds are nearly 3 and nearly 5. Just wondered what parents with older kids think about it getting easier or harder. Obviously I realize it depends how many kids you have and their relative ages but opinions please.

[Ceolas]

I feel it a lot easier now. DCs are 7,5 and 3. We are expecting another in August however so it will be interesting to see how that affects things!

[fortyplus]

Mine are 11 & 13 - now that ds2 is at secondary school they are very independent and confident, so things are easier than they've ever been. No doubt teenage angst will kick in shortly!

However, I think that once the youngest is at full time school things are generally fairly easy compared to having toddlers at home.

[iris66]

I found that it gets easier once they can communicate with you, but then harder again once they hit their teens.

[Spidermama]

I'm still waiting. I've had moments when it all seems to be on the brink of getting easier then I get the faint blue line and it all starts again.

My youngest is two now. I don't intend to have more so any day. Surely.

[Dottydot]

I'd say the easiest bit so far is right now - ds's are 5 and nearly 3 and ds1 on his own is fab - will put up with going shopping and stopping for coffee as long as he gets a snack, will watch films, play on his own - perfect child! Very few strops now and nearly always eats well!! (NONE of this was the case even a year ago...). Ds2's still harder work but he only 2! But he'spotty trained and out of the pushchair, so life is definitely getting easier!

All good reasons for not having a third...

[Flower3554]

18, when they went to college or left home.

[mummy2aaron]

In the womb lol.

[Spidermama]

Absolutely mummy2A. But we all thought it was soooooooooooooo tough being pregnant that first time didn't we.

[wheresthehamster]

My dds are 15,12 and 9. The easiest time for me was when they were 7,4 and 1. I felt I was in control of everything and had a good routine.

I hadn't started driving again after a 10 year gap with eyesight problems so we didn't have the frenetic club activities just the walking distance ones like Brownies and dance.

No one wanted sleepovers,just friends round for tea and kids were picked up by 6.00 (how reasonable).

Everyone ate what they were given. Now one won't eat meat, one won't eat potatoes. Everyone hates my casseroles.

Also after I'd dropped dd2 at nursery I had a heavenly couple of hours with dd3 who was the perfect baby. Aaaah those were the days....

[Fillyjonk]

ds is quite easy alone, tbh. he's 3.6

but dd is at a hard age (19 months), and they really spark each other off. They get on fabulously 90% of the time, but egg each other into all sorts of things. In particular, dd will start behaving not so well (eg chucking stuff, tantruming) and ds will find this so hilarious he will need to copy.

OTOH it normally gets her out of it as they both start laughing...

am finding it hard atm but less hard than it has ever been.

[pointydog]

agree with fortyplus, things have been pretty easy - comparatively - for a couple of years and dds are now 10 and 8.

Nowhere near as hard as when they are babies and pre-school.

Waiting for the teens, though.

[snorkle]

Message withdrawn

[portonovo]

My three are fairly close together, so I'd say things started getting a lot easier when they were about 7, 5 and 3 respectively.

The last few years have been great in most ways (they are now 14, 12 and nearly 10), but the pre-teen and teenage hormones and attitude kick in every now and then. But even then it's usually only a blip.

On the plus side, at this sort of age they are great company, really fun. Them growing in independence has many positives as well as a few negatives.

[ScoobyDooooo]

I am loving reading this gives me hope

Ds is 4.5 he starts full time school in september & dd is 1.1 We would like another but not yet couple of years. I wonder how it will feel when i only have one in the day time i am sure i am going to feel like i have to much time on my hands, i am so used to being with 2 all the time literally 24/7 apart from when ds is at nursery for 2.5 hrs a morning.

[fortyplus]

Another thing about teens...

I can honestly say that when I think about seeing my kids' friends and also when I see my friends' older teens (all older than mine) I really look forward to it.

They're all such nice people. They have their quirks and most of them aren't nearly as respectful as we were to our parents' friends, but I love the discussions that we have.

Yes... round here teens are great!

[wanderingstar]

When I had ds 1 who was 7, ds2 5 and dd 2. I realised things were good so did appreciate it then. Another good time, but one I didn't fully appreciate, was when ds1 was 21m and ds2 newborn. He was SO easy looking back that that year was good too.

Now we have ds3 who's 3, and ds1 is 13 and intermittently hormonal...luckily often lovely still too.
But more challenging all round now !

[wanderingstar]

As a crass generalisation though I'd say the ages between 4 and 9 or 10 are really golden with children. No more buggies, nappies, fewer tantrums, school or at least nursery for them, and hopefully too young for preteen hormones !

[motherinferior]

Mine are now just six and coming up for four and it's much, much easier.

[noonar]

my dds are aged 2.5 and next month . dd1 is a doddle. dd2 is getting easier by the month. i'm not having any more as i'd see having a baby as taking a step 'back' iyswim i love prgnancy, but so love being able to do simple stuff like go out for a pizza together. you cant do that easily with a mobile 3 month old , ime.

[noonar]

and 5 next month, i meant

[Jimjams2]

ds1 0-2 - bliss, loved it, he was very easy.
Now its a complete nightmare (ds1 7- severely autistic, no longer very easy-) ds2 5 (he's a doddle) ds3 2.


I loathe it when people say "it gets easier as they get older" because for us it won't! DS1 is stronger than me now, god knows what he'll be like at 17.

[Miaou]

It started getting easier when the dds hit 2 and 4. They are now 8 and 9 and are still really easy tbh. Ds is 18m and has not hit the "hard work" stage yet - he plays really happily by himself and doesn't tantrum (yet!). I am expecting things to get really hard in the summer when the next one is born and ds hits two (almost simultaneously ), but the dds are so helpful and dh is very hands on, so I am not too worried really.