To consider myself mostly out of the trenches now the kids are 6 and 3?

[outhereover]

Life has definitely undergone a seismic shift in the last few months and it’s a lot easier.

Now if I could get rhe 3 yo to sleep past 6 am …

Mostly but you will be totally by the time they’re 6 and 9. All eras of parenting have their challenges but you will no longer need a big bag of stuff to take out with you, they’re mostly independent (getting themselves dressed and washed etc.) and you can enjoy their company without having to micromanage things like going to the toilet.

What time does your 3 go to bed? Our twins are 3 and they do 8-8

You’ve done well if so!

Yeah I'd say so, my youngest is 6 now and it's infinitely easier now that she can get herself dressed, make herself a sandwich/cereal/a drink and she doesn't need supervision 24 hours a day. Toddler parenting is just mentally and physically exhausting, when you have a bit of space to breathe and relax it makes everything so much easier

Yes - 6 and 3 is when things start getting easier and more fun. The great thing is that year on year things get better and better. Mine are 16 and 13 now and although I miss the days when they were little and cute I do actually really like parenting teenagers. They are just so interesting!

For a while yes, I’m now in the friendship dramas and high school misery and I’d happily go back to the toddler years!

Thanks. @MyFairLady27 between 7 and half seven. But even if she’s in bed at 8 she wakes at 530. I am really hoping this ends soon. It’s the one thing that’s ‘difficult’ iyswim

My 8 year old still gets up at 6am every day.

Do you have to get up with her though? (I’m genuinely asking there, not a snark - I don’t have an eight year old yet so don’t know what’s ’normal.’)

My daughter didn't start getting easier until she was 6, but she's neurodiverse. Our two are 7 and 6 and life is much easier than it was a couple of years ago. I realise the teenage years will probably kick our arse though!

Yeah we do, I naturally wake up at 5am now. He likes company!

Have you met any teenagers? The nose wiping and nappy changing may stop but the parenting trenches come in many different forms.

I’ve noticed with both pregnancies something changed at 3 where I felt much more like myself again, more mentally stable, less exhausted. When the first turned 3 I took this as a sign to have a second baby, but I won’t be falling for that again 😂

Life does feel WAY easier now they’re 7 and 4. They don’t need constant supervision, I’m sleeping more soundly, just each minute feels more tolerable somehow. I can sit and read for 20 minutes while they play, and drink coffee hot because they’re not trying to unalive themselves every five minutes

Totally agree with this.

Mine are a bit older (19 and 16) but I love spending time with them. I've just got back from a matinée performance at the theatre with daughter 2.

Each phase of childhood brings something else that feels easier - not needing a buggy, being out of nappies, being able to occupy themselves for 10 mins while you have a shower, no car seats etc. I am now in my 'not needing a baby sitter' era.

Alongside that, their cuteness gives way to seeing them develop and gain new interests. Days out become less child focused and more family focused - likewise boardgames etc.

Don't wish it away, but relish each time life gets that bit simpler.

Lol.

You ain't seen nothin yet

I’m a secondary school teacher, so one or two, yes 😅

You are entering what I used to call the golden age of childhood. Age about 3/4 to 11/12. They love you, won't kill themselves if left lone for 5 minutes, can strap themselves into the car, sleep normally, problems seem solvable, lots of affection, love doing things with parents, the future seems a long way away. Enjoy.

Now 16 and 13 ARE the trenches..

I think once you’re all getting a full nights’ sleep every night, the worst is over. I agree it’s around 3 - the broken nights, teething and nappies are behind you. Plus they eat what everyone else eats and can play with friends or siblings relatively independently.

Now you can enjoy about 15 years before you’re lying awake at night waiting for them to come home (which is why we send them off to university)!

I'm 47 and still wake up at 6! I did go through a phase of sleeping until midday as a teenager though. I certainly felt out of the trenches once dd was 4 (only have one). I'm a secondary teacher so choose to spend every day with teenagers and I find them infinitely easier than toddlers!

My 8 year old will happily read in bed for an hour or so. She's never been one to go downstairs on her own in the morning, but we found the gro clock really helpful to keep her in bed a little longer when she woke early.

8 and 5 here. So. Much. Easier.

Mine are 11 and almost 9, honestly I would say it's the easiest they've been.

It’s different waking up at 6 and waking up at 6 and having to entertain a young child, though.

I don’t really mind waking up early but staying in bed, browsing my phone, relaxing into the day … that’s not happening!

Agree, it’s tons easier once they are potty trained, can be trusted not to eat electricity and bathrime is a bit easier.

For me it became harder again with the teenage problems. You need lots of emotional capacity (or we have done.)