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

[Fishandchipsatthebeach]

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?!

Mine has just turned 13. So far so good. I do really enjoy spending time with them. They’re such good company. And watching them become real people is great.
I do miss the little people they were though. 🥲
There are challenges and different anxieties but it’s not been harder just yet!

Me too. The baby years were an exercise in endurance and what followed was the fruit of that labour.

It makes me laugh when posters ward off those people deliberating on whether to have another baby by announcing they will turn into teenagers one day...and all I can think is...and thank fuck for that!

I much preferred mine as teens and young adults-I was a shit mum to them when they were small.

The expense is eye watering tho, and I only have 2 with a 5 year gap!

I wouldn’t say it is harder when they are teens, maybe just different. My oldest has not long turned 13 so now an official teenager I also have 3 below him being 11, 7 and a 5 year old.
They can all answer back and have abit of attitude at any age but at least when they are older they’re more likely to just slam their door and fume in peace rather than stand next to you constantly going on about it and whining.
They get more expensive as they get older because peer pressure to have certain things is there more than when they are younger.
The older they get the more self sufficient they become so now my oldest is quite happy to stay on his own in the house while I go shopping and things which means 1 less child for me take.
When they are younger though that’s when they’re imagination is at its best and the new things they will say or ask about each day I think is a brilliant time too.
Like with everything in life there’s pros and cons to each different age group.
People with newborns often get the ohh wait until they’re crawling and mobile speech, then it’s the walking, then it’s the wait until school, then high school and teenagers.

I much prefer teens to toddlers and small children. Yeah it brings different challenges and getting them up for school was awful but overall I had more freedom and free time. The key to teens is not to take anything personally as they will say and do some incredibly thoughtless and hurtful things but the next day they are the complete opposite. I was the same as a teen.

Yes definitely. Dd got better the older she got. She's 26 now.

I love my teens so far! It's like having your school best mate back sometimes. Other times it's like being a handmaid to an emotionally unbalanced empress but I still wouldn't swap it for the grinding practicalities of small children. Though I too miss their shining little faces sometimes.

Yes I absolutely adore my children. ❤️❤️❤️
I found the toddler years somewhat trying 😂

I love my teens. They’re decently behaved and really funny. I love talking to them about life and sharing advice. Seeing them become young adults is amazing.

Thank you for this thread and all the positive comments. There's so much negativity on MN about parenting teens and it makes me really emotional about my 5yo moving out of the cute phase. This thread has made me feel a lot better.

Teens are fab! Love it

The school best mate thing! Yes. I have some real goofy giggles with dd sometimes and she reminds me of a highschool friend and my highschool self so much. The teen girl humour where you laugh until you cry is so nostalgic!

I think it's like comparing apples and oranges.
I always think that I was physically exhausted when mine were little (had 3 under the age of 4 at one point) but now they're all teenagers, I am emotionally exhausted.
I think the hardest thing is having to let go of control. When they were little, I always knew where they were and that they were safe but now it's a constant worry and you just have to trust that the values that you've instilled in them to make good decisions.

It's just skewed by the way people post on MN. People don't have a reasonable place to announce how much they like their teens/ relationships/ lives in general, unless a rare thread like this pops up. Usually people are commiserating or problem solving and I don't think chipping in with how great things are for you would go down well.

I love my teens, they are 13, 14 and 16.
Yes they are moody and grumpy and messy, but they are also funny and loving and interesting.

I love not organising play dates and enduring the hell that is soft play.

The worst bit is running out of plates and glasses after they end up in the black hole that is the teen bedroom.

Couldn’t put it better. It’s so good to be able to really talk to them about all sorts of things and see them develop opinions and think for themselves, watching the adult emerge.

My teens are fab! They're 13, 15 and 17, all very different but a joy to parent. I found babies and toddlers a lot harder personally.

I love having teens! My older one is so kind and thoughtful and helps so much around the house, whereas me and DH had to do everything when they were toddlers.

Then my other teen is so sassy and confident, and so funny! She entertains us every evening with her impressions of teachers/bitchy girls/idiot boys.

I get on with both of them so well, they happily discuss everything with me.

I'm not by nature a 'carer' though and hate anyone being dependent on me, so at every stage when they've been able to do something independently of me, it's been such a relief (I'm thinking of things like getting themselves drinks, food, walking to school/hobbies on their own etc).

Teenagers are great because they're basically independent adults that just need a bit of guidance now and then, and I don't mind the guiding/advising role of parenting.

2 of our teens were and are great company. Our 3rd is a hideous nightmare OP. who recently told me she plans to be a Dr and move to Canada when she's older. I'm very happy with her decision 😁

Parenting children at any age has its challenges. And doubly so if a child had any additional needs. But I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed every stage.

I really didn’t know how I’d cope with the teenage years, but so far, it’s been great. And as for the challenges, we’ve worked through those together, and they have made us all closer and wiser. I love seeing the people my children are becoming, with their own interests, strengths and quirks. At this stage, I feel I learn as much from them as they do from me (I’m unexpectedly a massive Warhammer fan) and they are great fun to spend time with.

Last week, DD14 and I headed to Covent Garden for a wander, got Korean bbq and picked up last minute matinee tickets to Six. Far preferable than a morning at the local soft play!

I adore my teens. Yes they can be emotionally hard. But they are funny, interesting and engaged. I can have amazing conversations with them and holidays are fun adventures together. They have their own well thought through views and they make me look at old problems differently. They cook dinner. They don't wake me up at 5am. And occasionally they still want a cuddle.

I'm super proud of the people they are becoming and I think for me, this is by far my favourite stage so far.

I love my teens so much- they are 14 and 16 and yes, they get moody sometimes but they are no way the horrific, rude kids that people post on here as being normal. They have their moments which I completely get as I remember what it was like being a teen but they are loving, funny, interesting, intelligent and kind kids and I love having conversations with them about all sorts of topics. Its lovely being able to have adult conversations with them about life, the news, politics, careers, school stuff etc Its like having two extra friends to chat to and I love it.

6-11 are the best years! Old enough to do their own thing (mostly) but young enough to need you and LISTEN to you. Teens are sometimes lovely and sometimes crazy. Flip the switch as their hormones fluctuate - unpredictable. Can't wait for the 20s!!

Yeah, I agree with this. My teens are lovely (not perfect, but still lovely). Noone posts about their great teenagers because they'd get loads of snarky comments telling them not to brag so of course you only hear the horror stories online which makes it sound like all teenagers are awful.

I also love having teenagers. I miss the tiny people they were but this stage is so much fun. Of course they are sometimes stroppy, eye rolling etc, but overall I enjoy their company so much. It is so much better than I imagined .