Can't stop wanting to go back to when Dd was little

[Thatadvertsongstuckinmeead]

Adore her and try so hard to make things fun and to appreciate this stage in life-8 years old.
I was so happy when she was little at home with me and we had all our adventures together and she was so funny and sweet.
She still can be now, but has also started being rude & answering back and it just feels like a very different time than 0-6 ish. It went so fast and I had no idea whilst in the moment how special it was and how I would miss it
Does anyone else feel like this?

Yanbu my son has just turned 6 and is being really attitudey and I miss him being cute and easy going

Yes it does seem to change a bit around then 😌

I think for some people who feel like this, that's why they keep having babies!
However, at 8 they are interesting and fun and chatty, for god sake enjoy this rather than wishing yourself back. I have had some very testing teenage years and I look back on 8 very fondly.

But that may have been because 8 was an easier age for you

Yes I understand how you feel. My kids are so sweet and i desperately wish time would slow down.

However I remind myself that growing old is a privilege and I just need to suck it up.

I think it’s normal for people to look back wistfully on these years.

Just wait till 13, you’ll be dreaming of 8! Enjoy her for who she is now.

Great...

I go through phases of feeling like this and then phases of wishing time away. It all goes so fast. Mine are 18 and 21 now! But yes, sometimes I could cry when I remember the after-bath snuggles and stories. And sometimes I miss their primary school days, and sometimes I miss their mid-teen days. Every stage has had its special, memorable qualities.

But then each stage has had its trials which I wouldn’t really want to repeat (tantrums, nappies, school runs, friendship issues, school issues, the faff of bloody swimming lessons week after week for years on end; the packed lunches; the buying, washing and ironing of school uniforms; the endless tidying up; the RELENTLESS COOKING and thinking about cooking, the teenage worries and moodiness; the unsuitable boyfriends….so much that I don’t miss 😂)

We can only try to ‘be in the moment’ as often as possible. All of it is special and all of it is fleeting, just these little everyday moments that make up our whole lives.

Totally understandable to miss toddler/young child age. What do you enjoy doing with your daughter now she's a bit older?There are loads of things you can do together now that weren't possible when she was tiny.

Don't worry. You'll soon be doing the 'how long until 18 and leaving home' chant!

This☺️

And yes, related to what you’ve said on one of your posts OP, some ages will be easier and more enjoyable for some parents than others. Toddler/pre-school years were hard-going for me. Yes, lots of fun but the noise and chaos nearly sent me a bit mad at times. And the mess. I discovered that I don’t like mess. 😂

I enjoyed mid-late teens very much though and probably did some of my best parenting in that phase. Teenagers are so interesting and so funny (and yes, also anxiety-inducing and infuriating!)

And of course in some families it’s just hard all the way through, whether because of difficulties the child has, or the parent has, or both; or due to external factors.

We can’t stop or rewind. We can try to make the most of where we are at each moment. It can certainly be normal and healthy to feel nostalgic or wistful about the past, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of here and now.

I didn't find 8 a difficult age. Backchat I have zero tolerance for at any age... yes I do have a teen.

I look back fondly at photos, but try to enjoy who they are now. Each age comes with different interests, achievements and possibilities imo.

This is why I’m on my third baby …

You are so fortunate x