Parenting

[tomorrowwillbebetter]

Aibu to think that parenting a 5+ year old should miraculously get easier? The early years were gruelling so I kind of thought it's easy from now on but aibu to think that's not necessarily the case. Which bits do you find hard/easy at 5+ ?

Yes, I must say that it got much easier for me around the time that my youngest reached 5 years old. I think that school was a civilising influence! How is yours getting on at school? Can you give us examples of difficult behaviour?

I don't think it's easier at 5+, just different. The physical side is undoubtedly easier, ie no buggies, carrying them, nappies etc. Once school starts there's a lot more ferrying about to various activities, and the twice-daily school run (obviously!). But it's more the challenges of having to worry about progress at school, friendship dramas and them just generally having more "grown up" worries. For example my ten year old is extremely worried about things he can't control eg plastic in the ocean and nuclear war. Sometimes I long for the days when his biggest worry was not getting a go on the slide....

Nope, I don't think there's ever a point where it's suddenly easy; each age/stage has it's own plus points but their needs seem to change rather than disappear.

At 5-ish they're at school so you have a whole new world of learning/influences/exhaustion to deal with. They're in that in-between stage where they're not quite 'big' children but not quite babies, and their emotions can be a little up and down. They're exposed to a huge amount of learning (and expectation) at school, there's the influence of new friends, the playdates and after school clubs, the whole competitive side that can come from some parents. It's a vast amount for a young child to deal with. And then they come home with homework, spellings and reading every night. It can be relentless.

My eldest is 8 and its definitely been getting easier with time. I think just because they can do more for themselves and don't require as much time. They're also easier to understand (I. E. Their moods, what they want etc all more predictable) than a toddler or baby. Not sure how that will change in the future though.