Aibu that everyone said the newborn was the hard bit?

[MissMarpletheMurderer]

The tough bit of parenting is the no sleep newborn stage. I accepted this it was bloody hard. I still kept a diary and I've just read back my feelings. It was hard, exhausting my marriage took a battering bit at least it was divide and conquer. We were a team.
Teenagers are a whole different ball game, they try to divide and conquer us. I am more exhausted and near to the brink than at any parenting age before. I have signed up to a parenting class but I'm very open with my friends and everyone is saying the same. Aibu to suggest the pre teenage part is the BYAGTG (best you are going to get?)

Newborns ars easy peasy. My favourite stage.

I am also a bit terrified of the teenage years! Mine are both under five, so not there yet, but it does not sound fun.

Having said that, I remember my mum saying that the teenage years were her favourites. She worked in a secondary school and she loved teenagers! She always thought they were such good fun and good company. Obviously, there were horrible exceptions, like when a 15 yo girl tried to hit her for some reason, kids dealing class a drugs in the school loos etc. But she loved her job and she loved being around teenagers. I think that helped when we were that age.

I don't know if I'll feel the same when mine get to that age!

Newborn age I found horrible with dc1, but quite easy with dc2.

I loved the newborn stage. Loved being up for a feed at stupid o clock when it was silent in the house and outside, I'd open the cutains sit in the rocking chair and watch the dawn.
Loved the toddler stage, so flippin curious and fun to be with.
Loved preschool, infant school all the learning, playing, making friends.
Not keen on high school, later teens was a bit hard with the boys, and now is bloody awful with a teen girl.
I have decided boys are easier well mine were

It is all downhill from 18 months imo

I think while you're actually living it, it feels like the hardest thing ever. Then the next stage comes along and that seems even harder. Mine are now 10 and 7, I can't think of any stage that I've found easy! Each stage just brings new struggles and problems. That's just my experience of course!

We are 5 days into the newborn stage, he sleeps 2-3 hours then wants a feed and nappy change, im currently doing the night feeds so my wife can rest up while im off work!

I will report back once im back to work doing 10 hour shifts and doing some of the night feeds!

The plan will be me doing 3 nights, i have mondays off work so i will do friday through to monday and my wife will do the other days!

Experienced my first explosive poo today, i got covered and all i could do was laugh

I love the toddler / preschool patch. Newbies are easy but dull. Teenagers, it's all about negotiation and survival if the smartest.

I found newborn the easiest, my ds will be 2 in December.

My teenagers(and one now in their 20s FFS!) , both my own and my stepchildren, are all trying to kill me. They are all awful in their own special ways. The last few years have been horrendous and it just gets worse, and worse, and worse.

New born stage was the easy part for me it was my 2 boys having wrestling matches constantly at the 6/7/8 years I found the hardest .

Under 1 is the worst. Yabu

wtffg Yes! Menopause and almost teens is carnage.

Newborns: Meh.

Toddlers: the most spectacularly brilliant invention, EVER.

Primary age: fine.

Teenagers (I now have them aged 15-17) : Ugh. Just why?

The best was when mine were all toddlers together. I fucking loved it.

That's about the size of it.

Newborn was actually hell. Dd was a shit sleeper (every 45 mins she would wake -- if I was lucky) she had reflux and colic and screamed. A lot. I also had PND. She is now 2 and while she does argue and tantrum she is absolutely wonderful and I LOVE being able to actually talk to her, and her answer me and tell me what she needs!

I think 14-17 is hardest (with girls!). Based purely on my own experience and that of pals.

Teenage parenting is karma's revenge for you parents

My eldest is fine, not too much trouble at all
The second is minime but amplified (mum, dad I'm sorry)
The third is placid most of the time bu then blows - not the easiest

Teenagers are much harder. The stakes are higher. You have

Exams
Mental health - are they self harming? Suicidal? Happy?
Friends issues
Boyfriends
Sex
Pressure -to do well in exams, with boys, peers, what to do after GCSEs, to drink/do drugs
Autonomy - they are growing up and want more say in their life

Exhausting parenting teens.

I love every stage for different reasons. I wish I could go back to it all. Now my children are living abroad and I miss them so much. Would love to go back to being a needed and wanted mummy !

I have a new born, toddler, primary age plus teens, without a doubt the teen is the hardest

Newborn phase is harder than the teen years. Mainly because teens sleep a lot. Also, I can see the end is in sight, so it’s not as relentless. I’ve loved both phases, but as someone else commented, people talk less about teenage problems - maybe because people feel it reflects poorly on their parenting?

BTW teenagers always seem better to other parents

My daughter and her boyfriend practically live in each other's pocket - his mother has at points has she's swap her son for my daughter, my husband has said he's rather have her son (I suspect the truth is both of them show their 'good side' to their boyfriend/girlfriends parents and show the bad side to their own)

0-3 hell
4-10 bliss.
10-14 hell with bonus hell on top
Can't answer for 14+ yet. And to be honest, if he carries on like this, there'll be murder on the dancefloor before 15. Either him or me. Jury is still out on who will win.

Teenage years absolutely the worst. The worry is endless. 4 years down expecting another 2 years and hope my DS will come out of the other side.
I am just amazed at my naivety (and I'm a secondary school teacher) - I really thought the early years would be the worst and I would get my life back. Why did no-one tell us? Most of my friends have issues.

DD is 2.5 and this thread is terrifying me!

I've really loved every stage up to now. I am guessing she will be a monster from now on. (And I am dead lucky as I got to do the newborn stage as a non-bio mum, and that is basically getting all the good stuff without any of the struggle).

In all seriousness, it really worries me the way society tells you the newborn stage is awful. It seems to me it makes it harder for women to get support for PND because it is 'just what you should expect,' and then, if you are still struggling later on, everyone who hasn't had a baby imagines you're over it all by four months and there's no longer any such thing as an interrupted night's sleep. I know someone whose boss pressured her to come back from maternity leave at 5 months rather than 6 because 'no one needs this long to catch up on a few weeks of broken sleep'!

So far with a nearly 14 yo DS the teenage years have been fine. Have a lovely 9 yo too. The toddler years were by far the worst. So bloody random