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.

They wake you up when they come in (if you've managed to drop off while you're listening for them coming in IYSWIM).

They eat every single thing you have in the fridge by the day after you've shopped, then moan that there's nothing to eat in the house.

They have large friends who have deep voices that make you think there's a burglar in the house.

They never all enjoy the meal you've cooked from scratch, one of them always moans.

They cost an absolute fortune to feed, clothe, and entertain.

Please don't get me started on university costs. Four of them, probably all there for at least two years at the same time...

I love, love, love babies, but I really enjoy my teenagers now, even through all the above.

hackmum

please let that be true. Please. DS1 was a twice-a-day-30-minutes-at-a-time -Championship-tantrummer

Well that's me fuckeroonied then.

I've got a toddler 'and' a teenager.

I must win Woe-Is-Me Bingo, hands down

I like teenagers too. Well, maybe not girl teenagers. DD was unrelentingly hideous for most of her teenage years. Boy teenagers are better.

I only have one teenager at the moment. But you sometimes get intelligent conversation, the odd laugh, someone to watch Homeland with, someone to educate into books they must read and films they must watch, and then you can talk about it afterwards.

almostfifty that is so true. And funny, made me laugh!

They can eat that's for sure!

And though still children, they are in adult sized clothes. But they make me laugh and can be good company. And you can go out to good places with them as an excuse!

Hmm, try having toddlers a teen and working shifts, my life was so much worse than yours at any point!

Over that now. The teen is now civilised, the tots are now at full time school and I get to sleep during the day when they are at school.

I think whichever stage you have been through you look back with rose tinted specks.

can someone please agree with me?

by teens they WON'T still be shitting on the floor and weeing on my sofa will they?

Yes agree op with one proviso, sleepless nights are pure torture with babies however what I failed to understand is that when you have teens and older sleepless nights return.

'Will they get stabbed,pregnant, alcohol poisoning,take drugs, get a pay day loan, crash the car, commit suecide, fail all exams,drop out,marry a complete bastard, die.

Hold your toddlers tight and enjoy.

halloweeney - no, they won't, that's true. But they'll be vomiting drunkenly on your kitchen floor instead.

Yes Hassled. I miss having DS1 to watch the Wire with.

Now I just get texts saying 'holy fuck. A kid killed Omar! Nooooooo! Love Pagboy'

Hmmm Chaz. Let me think about that kind offer...

halloweeneyqueeney

They might not, but they could well have friends that might.

It's usually sick though, not poo.

halloweeney
Wait until they first get really really drunk...

At least teens theoretically can do their own washing.

that's okay, its tiled my pre-schooler is like a cat - it prefers to wee/poo on the nice soft carpet behind the sofa , never on wipe clean surfaces!

phew! a positive to look forward to!

Sorry but I'm on my second third glass of wine. The teenage boys are;

a. at football training
b. homework /revising
c. on the xbox.

Toddlers are stroppy but so are teens and much more expensive. Wine does help.

And DD1 has just got in and handed me the prospective costs of a trip she needs to go on next year.

£1800

Bloody music group was like £30 a term.

With sugary here, wine is essential to surviving teen years. Also they can buy it for you which is useful.

Still ds 2 is doing A level choice and has decided on Politics.

That's a nice round trip to Washington as part of his studies which he'll need.

My toddler is joyful and easy, she really really is! My baby is not I love her but aaahhhhhhhhhh.

Swings and roundabouts innit, can't compare children and mothers, might be easier when they are teens, might be hell on earth like wot my parents had it

So YABU

But still here have some and look on the bright side instead of worrying if it will come through your breast milk they can siphon it down directly before being sick on the swings and shagging Dazza the local stoner :)

Why do they always need to go on every single trip as well?

Why is it that everyone else's parents are letting them do x/y or z and you're the only ones refusing to?

Sigh. I think I need wine now, I was all calm before.

£1800??
Fuck. Where are they going? The Seychelles??
Glad I don't have a teen. I just told ds I would have to save up to buy him a cheap watch, because it was £10.
Smaller children are much easier to fob off!

Funnily enough I was just discussing with a friend how easy terrible twos seem compared to stroppy teens

Where on Earth do you all live that your schools have trips to Washington DC??
And more to the point, if you are in the UK (which I am assuming) shouldnt that be a trip to London ?

How hard it is is incomparable. If you're knackered, it's hard, whatever stage you're at.

YABU op purely for the fact you sound like my great Aunt who whenever you said anything to about how you feel, she'd say "You just wait". FUCK OFF (Great Aunt, not you... actually.......Hmmm)

It's all relative. So far every stage has been a PITA and lovely at the same time. (And I've been SAHM and Full Time Employed Mum - I don't say full time mum because we all are/should be regardless!)

YABU YABU YABU because you dismiss parents of smaller children as having it easy. For that naff off nicely.

YANBU for finding your current stage bloody hard.

Some people find the baby stage impossibly hard, some people easy, others love the teens years, some find them tough.

Big fat MEH to you, and a virtual kinda hug even though that's just not on for AIBU.