To ask what you find/found hardest about being a parent to young children?

[Heepers]

For me, I think it is 100% the broken nights and exhaustion.

Relentlessness.

Weekends aren't for having fun anymore.

The lack of sleep, without a doubt.

Tantrums

The lack of freedom / spontaneity

Lack of sleep

The constant needing of you.
'mummy?' 'Mummy?' MUMMY????????'
Every few minutes.

How dull it was. I really didn't enjoy the toddler years, mind numbing TV, soft play (urghh), having to watch them all the time, toilet training.

DS is 8 and a half now and it's bloody lovely, I can have a proper conversation with him, we can do more interesting days out and he can entertain himself when needed.

Sleep. And constant planning of mealtimes

The toys and the chaos.

Broken sleep, relentlessness, tantrums/big emotions. I know that's three. I can't choose.

Lack of sleep. The constant "mummy!!" Not having a minute of peace. And I finally realised what being touched out meant. Thought it was just some kind of woke expression. Nope. It's a thing

@Heepers

For me, I think it is 100% the broken nights and exhaustion.

Agree with you. I had two 20 Months apart and only had a handful of all-night sleeps in five years

How repetitive it all was

Sleep. Time to myself.

I think it's the mood swings that are hard too, because my little girl is 2y 9m and she can be lovely and kind and funny but then in a heartbeat can turn into a relentless monster because I've dared offer her grapes, or given her juice to her that she asked me for.

Never getting time to myself, lack of sleep and never having a tidy house

Mine are 21 months apart and between them I saw every hour last night. Five years, God help us.

The vulnerability. It's such a vulnerable point of your life having a newborn and it makes being in an abusive relationship a million times harder. Other than that the sleep deprivation, especially when you get one that doesn't sleep. Then just coming to terms with such a big change in your life. The financial side of things. The isolation and loneliness. Sorry you said just one.

The best bit - the love ❤

The not being alone

No lie ins when they were younger / shorter lie ins now

Broken nights when they were smaller

Bed time - I don’t like that I can’t “switch off” early in the evening, and have to do bed time - have felt like this since they were born!

I think I’m an introvert

I actually really love their company even though it sounds like I don’t!

The constant "mommy where are you I need you" when I've just said I'm going to the toilet and their dad is 2 feet away

Just the relentlessness of it: like there was no break..

Sunday evenings. I don't know what it was about Sundays when my daughter was little/newborn but I dreaded it and it made me want to cry. I think it's the idea of a new week of no sleep, my partner out of the house working etc. I can still remember the dread now x

Broken sleep, tantrums and overbearing relatives.

Lack of sleep, freedom to just leave the house without hours of planning and packing for what looks like a 2 week holiday, house not being tidy and just tantrums and fighting between them.. Love them to death though 🤣