To ask those with older children - what age did you find hardest?

[annie987]

I was debating this earlier with a friend. We both have similar aged children but completely disagreed on our favourite / least favourite age - she hated terrible twos but liked the teenage years whereas I’m the polar opposite.
This led us to wonder if there is a general consensus out there.
So which age did you find easiest / most difficult?

Easiest 5-11
Hardest 12-15

I think age 3-6ish is the hardest yes their little darlings but are wild with far to much energy (well my 2 anyway) son turning 14 now and does alot more things for himself even cooks we have alot more grown up chats and laughs. Yes he's cheeky (not to bad tho)I'd take his cheek over running round after my dd5 every minute of the day telling her not to do this or that come an do this please let me just take a shower an so on. Think ds gets overlooked alot as to how much time I have to spend with dd.

Easiest..anything under 12..never had to homeschool though.
Hardest ..14 to 16 as one went completely off the rails then. Others were fine as had enough drama after that.
All back to normal and in their 20s.

Ds1 was awful at aged 4, huge meltdowns, mad hard work aged 15-17.
DS 2 hard work 0-2, has been a dream teen.
For both the best years were primary school age. I’d go back in a heartbeat

14, without a doubt. The obnoxiousness started around 13, peaked at 14 and got better from there. There were still a lot of bumps in the road but now late teens and we get on brilliantly.

My favourite years were the toddler/ early primary school years.

My eldest is only 11 and is in y7. I’m definitely starting to see now why people say teen years are the hardest. Her behaviour is brilliant so far but I really feel she needs me now more than ever. There’s so much for her to navigate and its hard, as a parent, to give advice and then set them off to fend for themselves and have some independence (whilst trying to work out how much independence is appropriate). She’s charged so much since stating high school being exposed to a lot of “older” stuff all of a sudden.

My 8 year old is super easy and non-complicated! I’d say easiest is prob 7-11. I also thought 0-1 was a breeze.

@Scbchl

The beginning of puberty till around 16

This!

I’m not enjoying 12
At all
I miss my little boy
He’s an arsehole now

Two daughters here. 13-17 easily the worst. At 18 they became 100% lovely again.

I have a 6 week old and a 6 year old. Much prefer the 6 week old at the moment, she's all quiet and smiley, whereas my 6 year old just backchats all the time and doesn't do anything that I ask. It's tiring.

I've got two sons aged 12 and 17

DS1 was a bloody demon up until he was about 10 and has been pretty lovely ever since. I've loved his teen years!

DS2 was a nightmare toddler, and turned a corner aged 5. He is the easiest child to parent, generally very well behaved and if he has a moment is very easy to snap out of it. I'm now dreading his teens as I'm feeling we can't be lucky enough to have 2 lovely teenage boys

I didn’t realise how much I loved 5-10
Out and about , adventures and just doing stuff the 3 of us
I’m glad I had those years and enjoyed them but I feel sad a lot
And miss them

13- to date
Absolute nightmare 😠🙄 literally can't wait for him to leave

Bloody hell teenagers are rebels from hell

On the flip side 7 yr old is an angel maybe because he's watched the shite his brother has put me through

@MrsBungle

My eldest is only 11 and is in y7. I’m definitely starting to see now why people say teen years are the hardest. Her behaviour is brilliant so far but I really feel she needs me now more than ever. There’s so much for her to navigate and its hard, as a parent, to give advice and then set them off to fend for themselves and have some independence (whilst trying to work out how much independence is appropriate). She’s charged so much since stating high school being exposed to a lot of “older” stuff all of a sudden.

My 8 year old is super easy and non-complicated! I’d say easiest is prob 7-11. I also thought 0-1 was a breeze.

The early teens are definitely tricky. I worry more for DS2 as he struggles socially and academically and it's going to be hard guiding him whilst trying to stand back. DS1 was much easier as I knew I didn't have to worry about him so much

@Thisisworsethananticpated

I’m not enjoying 12 At all I miss my little boy He’s an arsehole now

Yes I'm there! A holes the lot of them 🤣

15 was a year of a lot of bust ups with one of mine. Very hard year!

@RaininSummer

Two daughters here. 13-17 easily the worst. At 18 they became 100% lovely again.

^ Amen to this!

All hail to the mums who got through the teen years you've given me hope 😃

15-16 , at 18 he turned fab . I’ve a 13 year old who is lovely but waiting for it to change ? By far the 4 month old puppy is the worst 🤣🤣

Easiest 4-7.
Found them to be inquisitive about everything and they are still very little and fun. And cuddly!

Hardest - Teenage years.14- 18.
My eldest son was fucking awful 14-17
Youngest son was a drama queen extraordinaire from 15-18

14-18 nearly broke me, truly awful.

I like the whole 0-10 pretty much. I think 5-8 is my very favourite.

I dunno, my eldest was an easy baby and a delightful toddler but an awful teen, second was great at every stage, third was a difficult baby, ok toddler and ok as a teen, fourth was like second delightful at every stage. If i had to pick though, i would say i prefer teenagers.

2 was easy, teens are easy. I'd say about 5 or 6 I disliked the most. Mine would want to touch everything, wanted to do everything but get over tired and be annoying.

God yes teenagers. No one would have kids if they knew how awful teenagers were.