To think if you can't spend the day with someone else's child, you're not ready to have your own?

[SabrinaHope]

Just what the title says...

Someone I know is starting to TTC, but she always says how hard it is when she looks after a 9 year old for the day or whatever and says "I couldn't have that all day".

No.

I had no interest babysitting your kid before having my own. And I probably fobbed you off saying I couldn’t have done that all day, because you were cheeky enough to want a free sitter for the entire day.

Tough one. It all depends on how the child behaves. My sister's kids run riot and I definitely couldn't have that all day. But I can happily spend the day with my dd and dss

Maybe that particular 9 year old is a pain? It’s different having your own kids because you can discipline them and do things your own way which you can’t with other people.

And it’s none of your business anyway/

Looking after your own child is completely different to looking after someone ele’s.

Looking after a 9 year old is a complete doddle compared to looking after a baby or a toddler.

Sounds normal to me.

No. Your own are totally different. I hadn’t really had anyone else’s for a full day before I had mine, I now have 4 and to be honest I still don’t want other people’s for a full day. That’s why I’m not a childminder.

I still don't like looking after other people's children and I have 3 of my own.

No I disagree. I hated spending time with other people’s children before I had my own. I found them noisy and irritating. Plus, I didn’t know what I was ‘allowed’ to say in front of them. No possibility of an adult conversation as everything had to be censored.

To be brutally honest, I still find other people’s children annoying (and my own too for that matter, but I love them dearly!!)

Nah - looking after your own baby is nothing like looking after someone else's 9 year old

That's so completely and utterly wrong. I hated looking after other people's kids. I didn't love them, I didn't have any maternal feelings for them.

When mine were born, I felt a huge surge of love and protectiveness for them. Isn't that what gets you through the shitty times (sadly quite literally sometimes! ) with kids?

Im a teacher and worked as a nursery nurse for years... still doesn't mean im an expert on parenting! What a ridiculous post

Mine are 13 and 16 now. I still couldn't look after someone else's all day!

I think looking after your own and someone else's is very different actually - especially if they are in a different age bracket. You loose track of what the previous stage(s) were like very quickly.

Also your DCs are used to your methods, routines and rules. Others are not and that can make things very difficult.

You also know your children and know the best way to handle them in different situations. Not so with another child, unless you are very close to them and have very regular contact.

What a load of nonsense! Women don’t have some inbuilt knowledge of how to look after children. Like anything in life, it’s a learning experience.

I can't stand put up with other people's children (for less than a day) but have 4 of my own. Love them to bits and hate to be without them.

How much you can cope with other peoples children doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how you would cope with your own.

No

your own children are completely different. A 9 year old who has been raised with different parenting rules than yours could be a nightmare, and other people's children are so much more stressful than your own

Definitively YABU

She has used other ages too.

Not my kid, btw.

Lord no. I had a real aversion to children before having my own. Wouldn’t have had a clue about what to say to a 9 yr old. Would’ve run a mile from babysitting.

Kids are like farts - I love my own and hate other peoples.

Exactly what Lost said. I would have struggled looking after a kid before I had any but they train you up.

Babies need nothing. It's an absolute piece of piss. Feed them, change them, that's it. Did I think it was easy when pfb arrived? No! OMG it felt like the hardest thing ever.

Then they train you with each developmental step and now I think nothing of six under tens at the weekend when DCs have their friends round.

I can see why you are finding your friend annoying but go easy on her.

My children are beautiful and awesome and clever

I feel sorry for other parents

And i didnt think i would feel that way before i had mine

I hadnt really even held a baby before that (with the exception of relatives)

I sort of grew with mine so that by the time they reached 9 I'd sussed it!

charlie haha yep.

Kids are like farts - I love my own and hate other peoples

Genius

Yabu. Your own are totally different.