to think being a stay at home mother of babies and toddlers is an absolute bloody dodfle.

[StillIRise]

compared to being a full time working (shit shifts) mother of stroppy, hormonal, expensive, complicated teenagers.

I am much more bone achingly knackered now than I was then, after a day of playdough and music group, with an afternoon nap or quite hour in front of a disney dvd.

The days when i could do tea, bath, story and bed by 6.30pm.

Compared to 8 hours on my feet, bit stressy, get in, feed 3 different times, drop off, pick up, nag about homework, worry about dodgy friends, drugs and unprotected sex.

U?

I think not.

I clearly messed up this family planning lark, because at one point I was the mother of a teenager and a toddler (and had 2 in the middle)

I don't think the OP meant any offence - only that she is finding the teenage years to be much harder than she found the baby stage.

Personally, I think it depends upon the number of dc you have, their personalities, their health and all the other problems/issues that can crop up and affect day to day life.

I remember feeling physically exhausted when I had my first baby and had the fear that he would never sleep through the night. But the teenage years are bringing other stresses.

We all had that nice baby stage even if we worked full time and we all [hopefully] go through to the stroppy teenage phase which I admit is harder when you don't can't control them.

What's your point? it's just a time thing isn't it.

I have 6 dc 9,6,20 months and 9 months twins, I enjoy it so can't moan!

My mum said teenage years are not fun, but I shall
Bury my head in the sand till I have to face that!!

Sorry 5 dc not 6!!!

PMSL at the sense of humour failures on this thread! I guess looking after toddlers and babies does sometimes make people a leetel tiny bit grumpy!

So its not going to get any easier then ?

My children are 9 and 11 and its very easy atm .

I took it as a lighthearted Fred...

I was joking. The menopause desn't make you tired. It makes you drink and occasionally mutter in public and struggle to find change in your purse.

FACT!

Just look at this as my good deed for the day. Or community service.

At least now you know it could be tougher.

You can now plan ahead. Save for boarding school or earplugs or something.

No need to thank me. My reward is just knowing I did right.

I was joking too, but op thinks I was having a go at her :(

I get It now!!!

hassled is it very wrong that i just had a mental picture of a real shoe box on the m25 with a family of teeny people in it and then panicked at the thought it may get squashed by a truck.... I think i need to get out more...

The baby and toddler part is the easy bit. Why doesn't anyone tell you this? It's a conspiracy I tell you!

I love teenagers.
Now ds1 has left I miss the random group in the kitchen emptying my fridge whilst laughing and trying to remember not to swear. I miss 6ft 4" teenage boys saying 'thank you for letting me stay over Mrs Pagwatch' like 7 year olds.
I miss the noise tbh.

No owl.

does no owl mean I have to leave the thread?

but I have a teenager and I work shit shifts and I have given up my job
all in a week.

I qualify for this thread

Well...

Being horribly ill and looking after two also ill (and exhausted and grunpy) under threes by yourself while working full-time and having your house extended is pretty farking knackering.. The complete meltdown on the drive earlier in front of the neighbours complete with hitting and screaming over a plastic dinosaur from a 20p machine was a definite highlight. But, y'know, you don't hear me complaining.. [Martyr emoticon]

Paggy - do you also find it takes you about 20 minutes of faffing before you can leave the house?

Phone, keys, glasses, tissues, book, oyster card, purse, umbrella, shopping bags, car keys, headache pills ... all have to be gathered and all somehow are scattered about the house. You go from room to room collecting them up but have to keep going back to your handbag and staring into it to recap everything on the list.

Then coat, gloves, scarf, lip balm, the shoes you want are always upstairs etc.

It is like trying to go out with a baby and a toddler.

First months with a newborn are harder work than I'd ever known before, but aside from the physical exhaustion, a huge (the main?) part of the sheer shock is the realisation that being a parent never, ever ends. We've resigned ourselves to that by now.

I have to say I miss my evenings. Once they start to sleep through from 19:00 your nights are your own.

Oh jeedus. Menpoause and teenagers. Please no.

Here bloody here that's the best thread I've read on here in ages OP! I know EXACTLY what you mean. One small consolation is all the mums of LO will be us one day. I really enjoyed my time with mine when they were young and I'm glad cos teenagers is hard work!

DD (goes to good school) just walked in with tales of how a y9 boy beat up y7 girl from her class! Will feel like I'm sending DCs to a war zone tomorrow. Would swop for CBBC and play dough any day!

Just saying....

YANBU and I dont know why you are getting such nasty replies!
But why are you doing 3 separate meals when you get in??

And actually even when they don't sleep through, once they're only up once or twice it's just a case of wapping out a nipple and letting them get on with it.

I appreciate that I have conveniently buried the memory of endlessly wailing baby.