My god, being a parent is so fucking exhausting !!

My 9,11 and 12yos fight the whole fucking time. With us and each other.

Sorry everyone,I remember the young years as gorgeous. I expected the work then, I thought it would be easier by now...

It does a bit, thank you. My first was so easy with sleep and bedtime that this has come as a bit of a shock.
When did yours start to settle properly? Mine gets almost inconsolable during sleep cycles. I end up spending a lot of time cuddling him until he calms down. I really don't know what I am doing wrong i hate seeing him so distraught.

Yep. Today we’ve: delivered to horse riding, collected from a sleepover, made cookies, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, tried and failed at origami, collected a parent from hospital, prepped the gravy, emptied the dishwasher twice, showered everyone, iced the cookies. And that’s only half of it.

Worth it though.

I think being up every 2-3 hours at 8 months old is normal for a lot of babies. It was for both of mine. If that makes you feel better!

I feel you OP. I’ve a 2 year old and a nearly 1 year old and fuck me, nothing has ever felt less like a holiday

I have a 7 year old ds who is constantly needing close supervision due to SEN.
And an 8 month baby who never sleeps more than 2-3 hours at a time...I'm aware that's not normal, I'll seek advice after the new year.
I'm so exhausted and broken...
But I love them dearly. And time goes by so fast so I want to soak up every moment.
I'm fortunate to have a small gathering this year as I just don't have the energy to socialise with lots of people right now with the way I feel. A solid 6 hours of sleep would be a wonderful gift.
Sometimes I really feel like I'm failing as a parent because I'm so tired and grumpy I am on auto pilot, like I'm watching myself do the most basic tasks.

My 2.5 year old must be broken 😂

Hear you OP.

My DD (2) has come down with a high fever, obviously we've now caught it too, and decided today we need to cancel Christmas. Same thing happened last year (to the letter) so this is our second year with no Christmas.

In addition, this year my DD had her four worst illnesses over our two holiday weeks (meaning we had to cancel our abroad holiday), her birthday, and now Christmas.

Appreciate there are worse things happening in the world but wow, desperate for just a couple of downtime days with no poorliness. I'm spent!

Nothing to add here except to say, yes to all of this! I’m so fucking tired!

My Christmas holiday turned into 3 weeks as DD2(4yo) is just coming to the end of chicken pox so no preschool for her. 🫠 She’s been cooped up for a week and the pair of us have been going stir crazy.

Ah yes, the sweet point of illness...not too ill to worry too much, but not at the really grumpy stage when they are coming down with it or recovering.

It is exhausting op you have my sympathies. I have a 6 year old, a toddler and a fucking greyhound. All 3 need exercising daily! I walk briskly for 2-4 hours every day on broken sleep and am up early almost every morning. Could not do it without coffee!

Sorry just realised he's your kid not brother!!

He's your brother not your child, so you don't have the mental load. You can't imagine what you haven't experienced I guess.

Its hell out here.

Im at the end of 14 months of mat leave and MY GOD I can't wait to go back to work. Ive a 5 year old and a 1 year old and everyday is like going into battle.

And when they are little they do what they’re told and go where you go.

Yeah...teens sleep in so you spend term time trying to turf them out of bed at the crack of dawn...and they (ok just one of mine is)are bloody nocturnal and keep you awake til the early hours...

They go out alone... scaring the shit out of you...bit better now he is doing boxing but at least with toddlers you know where they are.

This makes me feel sad 😩

Well, I imagine it varies from teen to teen. But if they hide in their bedroom and you are worried that have no friends, are lonely, not doing well socially, and you can't solve it, then that is very emotionally difficult for example.

OP I have a 6 and 3 year old and they could drive a saint to swear and my house is a bombsite... will be worth it on Christmas day though when they see the magic.

I never get the idea that teens are hard. I have a 3 year old who is adorable but still in the terrible 2s and strangers keeps saying 'oh, wait until shes a teen then it will really be hard, teens are a nightmare'. My 16 year old is no bother at all (despite being a typical lazy, eye rolling, wont wash without being told, lie in bed all day teen boy).

I'm sure some can be (especially if they fall in a wrong crowd etc...) but the stereotypical hides in the bedroom and keeps to themself is hardly emotionally difficult.

Agreed. Christmas with young chn is the best of times. The magic for them is wonderful and you get to help create that and relive your own childhood through them.

So true! Just had a stressful day with my teen - I'm exhausted!

Mine are 4 and 1 and both me and DH are absolutely exhausted. Hard to feel festive sometimes!

I treated my toddler like a puppy too, no matter the weather we went to the park and ran around for at least an hour. Often the only idiot parent there on a drizzly, grey December day but it burned off a lot of energy. And he napped every day until he turned 4.