What age most difficult

[Ineedsleepzz]

At what age did you find your children most difficult to parent?

My 3 year old is driving me absolutely nuts with all the backchat, the doing the opposite to what I ask, purposely lamping her sister for no reason. Just generally doing anything to get a rise.

This is definitely the hardest age for me. What about everyone else?

Girls definitely 14 - 18 (although the youngest isnt there yet so we shall see)
The oldest 2 I would have locked in the loft and only got them out for Christmas and birthdays from 14 - 18 with no persuasion needed. (They are now in their 30's and absolutely fabulous humans

I'm with @JaninaDuszejko and @Igglepigglesgrubbyblanket - birth to 9 months was the hardest for me. Sleep deprivation and the adjustment to being responsible for another human were very challenging.

When other people told me that toddler or teenage years would be harder than looking after a newborn I was absolutely horrified. Luckily for me everything else was, by comparison, a doddle.

DS are now 19 and 17. There are still challenges, but provided I've had 8 hours sleep I can deal with anything.

Parents always say kids get harder each year, it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone🤷🏻‍♀️

Definitely newborn. So hard.

@evenBetter No one on here has said that it gets harder each year, so let's hope not!!

It would be good to hear from people whose DC are fully grown. Parents of current teenagers always say teens and parents of current toddlers always say toddlers. I suspect time and distance gives a better perspective on both.

4 to 6 for me. The constant Mum, Mum, Mum drive me insane. I've got a teenager now and she's so much easier

I'm definitely finding it gets easier each year. Those newborn days were dark - although I had an allergic baby so was worse I guess .

Having teenagers has broken me. I LOVED being a parent, until the teenage years hit. My eldest was just awful to me, really really destroyed me. Now aged 22 and a bit more respectful. My middle one was my little clone and we did everything together, until age 14 where they just went ‘bye, I’m moving to dads’ and that was that. Dreading the next lot to go through it to be honest 😓

@StormBaby aww I'm sorry that sounds so hard

To be honest I'm worried mine will be like that
She's bad enough now

My sister is driving my parents mad... she is 29 years old

It varies so much from child to child.

Newborn to 6 months with DC1. Premature, NICU, feeding problems, sleeping problems, medical worries you name it. I think she’ll be an angry but fundamentally sensible teenager.

DC2, has been much easier as a baby and child. However she is a born mischief maker and loves attention - I have a feeling she’ll send me grey as a teen.

My children are young adults now - in their very early 20s - First job/at university stage. I found the teenage stage most difficult. Toddlers were also difficult, but I did have three DC all 21 months apart. It was knackering and relentless. Teenagers have a way of attacking your very soul, though. Primary school years were great. They are fabulous now as young adults and I’m proud of the people they have become.

Honestly for me, difficult at different ages for different reasons, depends so much on your child.

dd baby with colic, nightmare, pre teen with undiagnosed ASD also shit. Teen now - has it's moments for sure, but less often!

ds gorgeous smiley baby, toddler, infant school kid. But due to lots of shit at home, really, really hard since age 7 (now 12).

God, I am dreading the teenage years based on this feedback! Mine are 5 and 7 and we all get on so well together; I don’t want to imagine a time they can’t stand me 😂 my DS was horrific from 0-3 (he was so so miserable...wailed constantly....constantly....but he’s lovely now). I can’t imagine anything being more draining than that, but realise I’m probably being very naive.

Nothing is as draining / tiring as early years on little sleep.

serve i used to think that when I occasionally dipped into parenting threads. But big advantages too - can get themselves meals, organise own social life, chat with friends for hours, don't want to play role play games and can also becreally fab company. Don't despair!

My brother is 33 and still an arsehole .

I strongly dislike the toddler stage, they are so unreasonable.

Dd11 is starting to turn so we will see, wish me luck.

Agree with a pp that 14 year old/year 9 girls are terrible

Teens can be really good company.

Teens for me. Particularly 14. Both my boys were/are horrible at that age. So much so that 14 year old has gone to my mums to give me a break. :(

Got a 3yr old here and it’s HARD. I thought 2 was tough but at least he was a happy soul in between the frequent raging tantrums. However 3 is a constant onslaught of whinging, backchat, arguing, demanding, persistent jabber. It’s like a mental assault, it’s exhausting. Definitely finding the “threenager” harder than 2. That said, I still have some idea how to relate to toddlers and preschoolers. I have NO idea what to do with teenagers and I’m dreading that.

Teens, boys go through the filth stage of not wanting to shower and wearing socks for a week, girls can get trappy. Both boys and girls seem to get to a stage they grunt at you, and every question you ask has to be timed to perfection (ie when they are actively talking) they also get bigger than us mums, so a clip round the ear gets returned with a laugh!

Mum of 23 yr old boy and 20 yr, I found it hard that come 18 they didnt just wake up knowing how to adult. They have kept me up in the past worrying about being out driving to clubbing and wondering if they are ok. For me it got harder the more independance they got. They can go for ages with not reporting they are ok and you have to let go with the worrying.

The teenage years have nearly broken me. Ds didn’t sleep through the night until 3 but from 14 the stress he has put us through is indescribable.
Treasure these years, if you can op. I can’t tell you how many times I wish I could go back and maybe do things differently, not sure if it would have made a difference or not.
When they were little, I just wanted them to leave me alone, now I’d love them to want to speak to me.

Teens all day long - sorry!