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Original poster

Does anyone enjoy having teenagers? Prefer it to having little kids?

237 replies

Fishandchipsatthebeach · 07/09/2023 11:39

All I hear is negativity and how it gets harder once they are teens.

I’m a mum to a 5 year old.

Does anyone actually prefer having teens to little kids?!

OP posts:
EssexCat · 07/09/2023 11:42

Me. 100%. I do miss their tiny little faces sometimes and I’m incredibly lucky to have easy teens but i bloody love having teenagers.

They’re great fun, brilliant company - and they can do up their own seatbelts and get their own drinks!

BatshitIsTheOnlyExplanation · 07/09/2023 11:43

Teens are fab! And their friends a good fun!

Mine are early 20s now, but I'd say the teen years were far easier and more enjoyable than the toddler years.

The grocery bill, on the other hand......

BatshitIsTheOnlyExplanation · 07/09/2023 11:43

And they can wipe their own bottoms :)

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Unexpectedlysinglemum · 07/09/2023 11:45

Good question ! I agree I have seen lots of negativity about living with teens recently which we making me nervous for 13 years time!

Travelfan2021 · 07/09/2023 11:46

This reply has been withdrawn

Removed at poster's request due to privacy concerns.

skinnytobe · 07/09/2023 11:48

I do! Couldn't go back to little ones again. Morning are horrible of course but I'm enjoying my new found freedom now mine are teens Grin

DontMakeMeShushYou · 07/09/2023 11:49

I loved having little kids, but teens are bloody fab!

I love that I'll be sitting watching TV in the evening and one of them will just say "Mum, would you like a cup of tea?"

I'm lucky that my teens have been very easy and largely worry-free.

BertieBotts · 07/09/2023 11:49

Much prefer teen to the 5yo stage, but my favourite is toddlers :)

andyourpointiswhat · 07/09/2023 11:49

Me. Mine are now also adults, youngest 20, but I loved the teenage years. They are so interesting, I loved having their friends around and a lot of their friends still have a good relationship with me. I cried when my eldest’s best man spoke about how much he loved hanging around our house at his wedding. I know all kids are different but I never understand the teenage hate. Set boundaries with your kids, enforce them, treat them and talk to them with respect and make it clear you expect the same. If you have a nightmare teen you can probably trace it back to how you parented your kids when they were younger.

BorrowedThyme · 07/09/2023 11:50

I loved having little kids and I loved having teens

Sundaefraise · 07/09/2023 11:51

Yes, absolutely. My teenage ds makes me laugh more than anyone else on the planet. We can now watch series together that we both enjoy rather than Peppa pig and we ca go and do things that interest both of us. He is fab.

daughtersdayout · 07/09/2023 11:52

BorrowedThyme · 07/09/2023 11:50

I loved having little kids and I loved having teens

I am the same! They were so cute and funny when they were little, and now they are intelligent and funny ☺️

They are fab creatures that brighten up every day!

Oblomov23 · 07/09/2023 11:53

So much easier. Easy. My 15 year old and 19 year old are no trouble. (Well a bit mouthy and answering back occasionally, but that's the worst bit!).

Frenchfancy · 07/09/2023 11:53

Teens come with their own challenges, but would I swap them for a five year old? No way.

Desecratedcoconut · 07/09/2023 11:55

I have two teens and they are lovely, great fun to be around, kind, interesting. It's exciting to see them mature and find their feet with who they are and how they want to be as adults. The conversations definitely improve as they age. I liked them when they were kids too though.

IhearyouClemFandango · 07/09/2023 11:56

My 13 yr old is a delight. A bloody stubborn, single minded one, but a lovely girl to hang out with. She knows what she likes and doesn't, works, hard, is kind and funny. There is a lot of running around related to sports, but that's ok. Yes, she rolls her skirt and wears too short shorts, and likes TikTok too much, but she's great.

redskytonights · 07/09/2023 11:56

People prefer small children to teens?
They like having to do everything for their child, having no sleep, having to organise any life of their own weeks in advance, being on their feet constantly, playing pretend games on repeat?

Teens are amazing. Wouldn't swap for a small child if I was paid to.

Hereforsummer · 07/09/2023 12:00

I wouldn't say I prefer having a teen. I miss the cute toddler I had, but this stage is physically a million times easier. DS is 15 and so far is good company and not causing any real dramas. I know what you mean though. From reading MN I half expect he is going to turn into the Antichrist at any moment.

HorseyHorsham · 07/09/2023 12:00

I think they are different. My teens make be burst with pride, I think they are great.

They do also make endless demands through thoughtlessness and laziness too. And can be rude/obnoxious and self absorbed. But I love spending time in their company.

8again · 07/09/2023 12:01

Far prefer having teens. So glad I am not at the nappy and car seat stage never mind all the nights with broken sleep. My 16 DD and 19 DS are great fun, interesting, polite and I enjoy their life and friends vicariously. Far prefer having teens. They get a bit stressed around exams and need some tlc at those times but that’s to be expected. I would say from age 7 onwards it keeps getting easier as they can communicate well and do more. That’s been my experience anyway.

Blanketsburg · 07/09/2023 12:02

At the risk of sounding saccharine, I loved all the stages, including teens. All joyful in various ways. All had challenges too, but vastly outweighed by the good parts.

DH said a few years ago that it sounded silly to say, but he hadn't anticipated just how much he would like the kids as people. Like, obviously you love them, but he hadn't considered that they would be so fun and interesting to talk to and hang out with. I'm probably not wording that very well! But I know what he meant.

emmylousings · 07/09/2023 12:03

Much prefer parenting older kids. More freedom for you and them, more interesting chats. Interesting to see the develop.
Late nights, fights with other kids, the odd argument, messy rooms. They're the downsides!

CatsOnTheChair · 07/09/2023 12:03

I'm at the start of teens, and they are great.
Infact, from about 4 onwards, they just get better and better, imo.

But then I got 2 none sleeping babies, which clouds my newborn days.

Comedycook · 07/09/2023 12:05

Teens can be utterly vile!

But it's easier....I sleep in until I want at the weekends. I can lie on my bed and take naps during the day or watch TV.

We recently went on holiday....DH and I sat by the pool with a drink in hand, kids were happy on sun loungers reading/on phone or swimming in pool....a family next to us had two toddlers...I didn't envy them

BananaSlug · 07/09/2023 12:08

Really? I've always heard the opposite how its so much easier when they get older but mine aren't they are getting harder (but they have sen) but I've only ever heard people saying its easier..