To ask what stage of being a parent you least enjoyed

[Fennecfoxmummy]

My little one is only 9 months old so obviously I have very little experience. I thought I would LOVE having a little new born but it was honestly the hardest time of my life and I don't remember feeling relaxed or happy for the first 3 months however now he is amazing I love seeing the new things he is learning. The older he gets the more I enjoy him without wishing his life away!
I know toddler years are supposed to be the hardest work. What's it like when they start school? I think I'll miss him like mad or are you glad of the break. Everyone's different I know. Just wondering what to expect really

I have enjoyed all stages, each one has been my favourite as they pass through.
Now I have teenagers ( 19 and 16) and so far it's the easiest yet.

Around 14 months, she was walking,touching everything and the whinging seemed constant. It seemed to be all day every day until she turned two and she seemed to turn from a whiney toddler to a little girl who would sit nicely and play.
I'm now entering the teens (13 in 2 weeks). Not sure what to expect really.

I like that bit when they've just started school full time. You know, that bit when they come home so tired they fall asleep into their supper and you just have to pop them into bed as early as poss. I like that bit. Plus they learn to read quite well and you can get all your old books out for them. Wandering Wombles anyone?

I've found the later teens really good, as they start to realise that there is some stuff I know about, that I am not some mad fascist authoritarian general but actual quite liberal and fair thinking, that I did exist before they were born and did some quite interesting stuff. That sometimes my advice on their personal/social relationships makes sense. At the moment they're quite antsy about the international situation and are appreciating that (as an older mother) I can talk about conflicts from Vietnam to Iraq and talk them down from teen hysteria. (I don't mention that I spent much of my early teens with a tin foil hat folded into my schoolbag.)
I'm very pleased that we're over the early teens, and the climbing out of windows to run away, swearing practice, eating 17 chocolate bars and hiding the wrappers inside their pillow cases. I didn't like that.

I can't remember their early years. It's just one big mash-up, 1095 days of 'if I can get through today it'll get better tomorrow'.

Oh, it's a rollercoaster!

Due to the traumatic, almost fatal, delivery (for the both of us) I struggled through DD's first year and, when my health didn't improve, I found toddlerhood almost impossible. She is now 15 and I love her to bits. We're very close and I'm very lucky to have her. We just 'get' each other and I hope it continues for years to come. She has had some health issues also, which I've had to help her manage and I think this has made us closer. Due to the trauma we both experienced, siblings were never an option. My hubby witnessed everything and couldn't talk about it for a very long time.

My daughter is nearly two and I've found 1-2 really hard. She never sits still, gets bored with whatever she's doing after a few mins. Constantly is taking things off shelves, out of drawers, leaving them all over the floor. Cries/screams at the moment if she doesn't get her own way, cannot play by herself, always needs me to play with her. Currently she is away at her dads. My house is an absolute tip. I would love to have some time to relax, enjoy myself, but I will be spending all weekend cleaning and tidying. Then as soon as she comes home, she will undo all my work within minutes. I love her to bits but I'm a single mum and it is HARD. I found it easier between newborn and 1 to be honest as she'd sleep more, didn't need me to constantly entertain her, stayed in one place. On the plus side, things are also more fun now that she is walking, starting to talk, communicating with me and showing her personality. She's also showing me affection - hugging and kissing me. These moments are magical.

5 -12 weeks. Colic and reflux. Breastfeeding and wouldn't take a bottle or dummy. Would only sleep in the sling during the day. We moved house during that time. Was AWFUL with no family support.

I cant stand 6-12 months, endless mush, naps and crawling, dull, dull, dull.

Baby stage is the easiest for me. So portable, hardly any stuff/equipment required, very cheap, everyone likes them and wants to help with them. People expect you to be focused on them and sleep deprived etc.

18 months to 5 years has been very tough with both, especially dc2 - no longer so portable, have opinions, going anywhere takes an age because they walk at a snails pace, but you have to go places because they need 'more' than they did, they cost more, they need more stuff and space and they argue about everything. People don't expect you to be focused on them in the same way, and no one cuts you any slack for sleep deprivation - even though both of my children especially dc2 slept much worse as a toddler/preschooler than as a newborn. They move things, they destroy things, and nobody wants to help out with small, argumentative, peeing on your furniture, waking every hour to shout at you, leave a trail of snot everywhere, writhing kicking angry toddlers.

5-10 has been better. Cost more again, but less stuff......more portable. More possible to do things with. But I'm yet to experience teenagers.

Toddler without a doubt, you cant reason with them, chat to them much, games are mind numbing...very very hard. Once hit five it was a DREAM.

The baby/toddler stage was the worst for me as I had 4 DC under age 5 fuck knows what I was thinking It got better when they went to school, then the teenage years hit. I'm amazed DH and I never killed each other or the DC. All our DC have left home now and it's actually lovely to have the house to ourselves again and be youngish enough at 48 to enjoy each other again.

Age 1-4. Hated it when she could walk and wreak chaos but wasn't "reasonable". Loved 4-10 so so much. Best thing - age 6 or so when they can go to the loo on their own in restaurants! My girl is 12 now and still sweet but grumpy too!!

My eldest is 18.

This is definitely the worst bit. As others have said, he's a sensible boy and lovely company, but I worry so much for him and his future and the world I'm sending him out into.

Fortunately, he's not planning on leaving home for another few years at least.

First year. Sleep deprivation was horrific and spent lots of time crying

2-3 years. Constantly running off, tantrums. Ugh, never again. Babies and school age just find though.

Good and bad at every stage. Hardest for me was age 5-8 constant 'why' questions that don't make sense 'why is the moon mummy?' Why is the moon what? In the sky, bright? No just 'why is the moon'? and over ambitious/lack of sense of danger - constant scraped knees etc. No problem dealing with them first aid wise but it's the crying and them telling you a VERY long story of how it happened 'well first Janey said I couldn't use her skipping rope so then Rosie said I could use hers but hers wax too short' etc etc and infinitum!

Just draining.

Favourite times torn between babe in arms and teens, yes I am weird I'm ok with teens I find them interesting and energising and thought provoking ignores teen reversion to toddler tantrums with essentially a toddler a foot taller than me

WandaOver I really hope so, I really pray that my most challenging bit has been the beginning (it has nearly broken me a thousand times over). It's nice to hear about breezy adolescents, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for one of those he bloody owes it to me

I found the time my first started school very tough. I hated handing her over to someone else, hated the fact that she came home speaking phrases she'd picked up from other kids, hated the fact that I felt forced to chat to other Mums!

I did get over myself though.

Maybe I was unlucky, but I found the teenage years a nightmare, particularly with my eldest, because it was all new to me.

Year 11....aaaaaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

That about sums it up.

Six weeks old was pretty grim too.

The year that my daughter was 3-4 and my son 1-2 was utterly awful.

She's autumn born, very advanced (I know, I know, sounds PFB, but she was and still is), and was desperate to be in school and utterly raging that she had to spend another year at pre-school. He was a slow-developing giant baby who couldn;t walk - or communicate worth a damn - til he was 18 months and had to be lugged everywhere, incapable of doing the many activities required to keep his sister happy. And he barely slept. Neither did she.. God, it was awful. I spent most of that year in tears of exhaustion and desperation.

It didn;t help that my son was seriously ill part way through the year and had to re-learn how to walk, which set him back even further, poor little sausage.

Newborn with my first (found it a lot easier second time round). Shes been a joy since.

Aged 6-18m with my second. Needy but I had less time to give. However 18m+ total dream.

DS nightmare baby, DD nightmare toddler. Dull dull dull until they reach nursery school age. Since then, great. Now they're teens, great too! Perhaps I'm just relieved they're not still toddlers!

Every stage brings its challenges.But I think primary school age passed with the least amount of events. You feel strange ,when they start,for a couple of days , and then never look back!
My youngest is now in Year 12, and my older 2 at uni.
I never thought I would get used to them not being in the house, but actually, it's quite stressful - like now, during the holidays when everyone is back home. Counting the days till it's just us again! 2 years time the nest will be truly empty. Looking forward to it actually, much as I love them all to bits!

My DCs can be seriously hard work, but the hardest bit for me was being pregnant. I hated it.