Which is the hardest and least enjoyable age to parent ?

[Bibadoabo]

Which is the hardest and least enjoyable age to parent ?

Puberty - for my boys it was about 14-16. Also the issues they have as young adults can be hard to deal with as a parent - you can't make them do what you know is good for them, but it's hard seeing them suffer.

Loveliest 7-11.

Tho my oldest is only 11 so can't speak beyond that!

The worst was 0-4 by far.

2-3 I found really hard

Newborn.

Lack of sleep makes everything worse.

Newborn was awful due to lack of sleep. Early teens have been very challenging for us due to mental health difficulties. The baby and toddler years are hard on the parents but the teen years can be so hard for the child (and consequently challenging for the parents too). You can't sort everything out for them like you could when they were little.

I think it really depends on the children and the parents. I found 0 to 3 so hard and I have found the teenage years much easier, my friend is finding the opposite, despite our DC having similar challenges at similar ages.

There is something about not being able to effectively communicate with your child that I found incredibly challenging in the baby years. I am better able to cope much better with (fairly significant) problems my DC have had as they have got older.

The baby stage was hard for me.
The teenage years were fabulous.
Two boys.

I've loved it all so far. But some stages have been really tricky at the time. I found newborn to pre school very 'lonely'. I just remember feeling so damn 'lonely'. I used to be really pleased to go to the shop and have the checkout person strike up small talk with me (and I despise small talk 😂)

I do feel incredibly blessed , as tough as some of the days and nights have been, I wouldn't swap it for anything in the world.

Um, all of them. I see cute toddlers and remember how lovely it was to see my babies turn into people!
I love spending time with my teens but hate how they can turn into monsters in a moment.
Newborn times were probably the toughest. One high needs baby, one who spent time in picu after a heart op and one where I was diagnosed with cancer when she was six weeks old. Not an easy time for any of us.

Newborn and teenage have been my worst.
i really loved the bits in between from weaning to 12.

I've always thought that age about 18 months is hard work, even though they're adorable at that age - because they're old enough to be mobile and running around, but not old enough to really follow instructions or be reasoned with.

But really, as PP has said, mid teens is enough to try the patience of a saint.

Probably newborn for me, mine are both teens now and still lovely, so adolescence doesn't have to be a nightmare, but it's mostly out of one's control.

For me the younger the harder. Dds are 18 and 20. I found having a baby and toddler incredibly hard. I've enjoyed the teenage years.

Late 80s, when your parents need parenting was my first thought.

With the children 15 to about 20 for different reasons.

I found most of primary school the hardest so far. From about 4 - 10. Beyond that they were more grown up and able to do things, before that they were more easily satisfied with things. 4 - 10 is a really demanding phase and peak grump age.

2 years old. Loved newborn. But found the 2 year old difficult. All the frustration, energy, lack of understanding of danger that they exhibit and needing lots of help but (usually) not wanting to be given it. I remember having a really bad cold in late winter with morning sickness and early pregnancy exhaustion was a really bad time

I actually found newborn quite easy as the horrible pregnancy insomnia I had combined with still being at work was far worse than being woken by a baby and on maternity leave.

Secondary school.

My 2 are 15mo apart so newborn and toddler stage with both of them was absolutely brutal. However it was a stroll in the park compared to parenting 2 teenagers through covid and beyond. Not sure any of us will fully get over it unfortunately

13-17. The emotional support required is very draining, especially when their frontal lobe is developing and they can seem so angry and difficult over the tiniest thing.

Teenager years are harder imo

The first 6 weeks for me. I breast fed and I seemed to be feeding most of the time. Also my second DC had projectile vomiting so I used to panic what if he took all my milk then vomited it up and was hungry again. I actually enjoyed the teens the most.

So far I have found ages 3-5 hard work, he went through a phase where he wanted to fight me on everything.
he’s now almost 13 and I feel like I’m clinging on to the last threads of loveliness before the teens start.

I found the baby and toddler years tough but fun.

Early primary the demands on me eased off a lot. I remember that period as particularly easy.

Late primary/tween stage now: The kids are pleasant and getting more independent but SEN have come to a head for both of them. I've found dealing with their officialdom worrisome. And I picked up some anxieties about their future.

As you go along, the practical demands decrease and the worries multiply.

Teens. Without a doubt.
Take me back to newborn/toddler stage any day. At least you have an element of control and the hope is still alive that they'll turn out ok when they're older 😂