So what age is the easiest?

[minipie]

Just wondering really.

I'm in the middle of small child phase now (1yo and 3yo) and I would say those are pretty hard... especially if like mine they don't sleep and are genetically non compliant types .

Teen and tween years sound pretty hard too, at least for most.

Is there a "golden era" in between when they have become fairly self sufficient and well behaved and sleep through, but before they start rebelling? Of course no age is plain sailing... but I mean relatively speaking.

It's not a completely idle question btw as DH and I are considering some fairly big projects/changes for the future but I am trying to work out when the children will be slightly less hard work so we can face it!

I think it is about two things:

a) what the child finds difficult

I firmly believe that some people suit some ages better than others: that someone who finds being a toddler utterly frustrating can be a lot happier as a teen or a young adult, but that somebody else may have found the dependence on childhood reassuring and be scared of growing up

I am very independent and quite private, which made me a toddler from hell, but actually quite easy going once my parents could give me free reins

ds, who is similar to me, found the preteens particularly frustrating as he wanted (and needed) more freedom than we could give him

b) what you find difficult as a parent

I found the clinginess and constant wittering of 3 harder to take than teenage backchat and late nights

my 9yo is pretty easy to parent at the moment - agree with the previous posters who mention increasing independence without hormonal high school angst. I can leave her home alone for short periods, but she's not yet gallivanting around town by herself all weekend, with all the stress that entails.

Watching with interest!

My eldest is 7yo and youngest is 2yo. I found the first 18m with both awful (they also didn't sleep) but from age 2 - 3 I really start to enjoy them and the best years so far with my eldest has been 5 - 7, hopefully he will keep delighting us for a few more years!

I think that whatever stage I have been through and am looking back on through rose tinted spectacles has been the best!

Interesting reading!

Mine are 1 and 4 and I find this stage relentless and guilty of moaning a lot about feeling that I'm not a person and that my life is 24/7 childcare. But they are cute and funny and I know where they are and who they're with at all times...

So far my favourite ages have been pre-mobile baby and 3.5+. Not a huge fan of the "into everything" stage especially as mine were/are still waking 6+ times a night at the same time. Exhausting.

new born. definately new born until probably just befire they are walking.

they just eat and sleep. it's great. take them.anywhere do anything. granted the bags full of bottles nappies and food can be a pain. but mine were never massive night feeders amd slept pretty well at night tbh and we're pretty largely unaffected by teething.

oh how I loved those morning and afternoon nap times. bliss.

From 6 months to 18 months was great. From when dd could sit up and interact with people, up until the toddler tantrums started.

She is 3.5 now and in the last couple of months she has become really easy again- suddenly she is potty trained, plays on her own and is turning into a reasonable human being

I found years 0 - 10 a doddle.

I've got a 10, 12 and 16 year old now and I'm finding it hard.

The bickering

Occasional outburst of terrifying violence. (Theirs)

Regular bouts of misery. Each one has said 'I wish I was dead' at some point in the last six months.

Ffs. We're a nice family. DH and I are kind, and we love each other. We had a happy home until the sodding hormones hit. It doesn't help that ds2 (10) has HFA and thinks everyone is horrible, and that it's completely reasonable for him to communicate that to them - teachers, TA's, random dinner ladies who upset him.

Sigh

Birth - 5 is by far the easiest. Even with the establishing breasfeeding, sleepless nights, colic, tantrums etc.

Teens are vile!