Which parenting stage have you found the most challenging so far?

[juliano]

What is the hardest parenting phase you've experienced so far?

Maybe early primary + a toddler. So much back and forth, coming home from work and a round trip to pick kids up from different places and then constant need for snacks and drinks and this and that and questions about random things. Found that very tiring.

Teenagers (14 and 18) have been a delight so far, but I think I just got lucky.

18 months-2 years I think. The teenage years are noisy and emotional but you can have proper chats and that makes up for it. Dd is 14 and is lovely with tricky moments. I think/hope she'd say the same about me. Except I'm nearly 50 so the other end of hormones!

13 till the end of college/6th form

Teens, 14-17, but I have boys, I suspect it’s earlier for girls.

Under 4
lack of sleep, incomprehensible witter, head spinning, - I did love most of it but it was definitely the worst stage with all 3 of them.

Baby, without a doubt.

Sleep deprivation is official a torture for a reason.

Teens are lovely.

All mine were great as teenagers. The hardest were the baby years just for the sheer exhaustion. Maybe I’ve just been lucky.

0-3 years old

16-18 and ongoing.
First few months were tough as well, especially first time around.

Newborn - 2.

Preschool was delightful. Teens aren't too bad.

8-10 yrs. But that was with autistic DS when we were dealing with exclusions, therapies and tribunals for an EHCP, as a single parent. I expect my younger NT dcs won't be as difficult at the same age.

I've found the toddler and preschool years easy and delightful with all of mine.

The 0-1 stage, the literal 24/7 screaming is permanently imprinted in my brain, hearing a young baby cry gives me flashbacks. After being consistently gaslit by medics, we eventually realised the cause was allergies and everything got better and he’s now a complete joy at 3. Never had a bad period with our oldest boys.

17/18 a whole new level of worry!

Secondary school. Its like my lovely baby turned into zombie pumpkin overnight. Urghh.

Still love him to bit though.

New-born up to 11 was a dream. 3 to about 8 was especially lovely.

Early teenage years - from about 12-14 years. DS1 was ‘explosive’, DS2 was incredibly stressful (police, social services, no school etc), DS3 was stroppy and lazy.

they are seemed to settle down from about 15yrs and are now delightful!

GCSE and A level and early uni years - very stressful

DS1 - 6 to 10 years
DS2 - 2 to 4 years

DS1 is now an adult and turned into a lovely person from secondary school onwards.

Apart from his very early years (less said the better!), DS2 is on the cusp of adulthood and absolutely great.

I work with families of young people who are going through challenging times (addiction, gangs, county lines, MH etc) and so really see how awful teenage days can be and am very grateful for mine…

Newborn was the easiest by a country mile (even with a colicky bottle refusing non sleeper).

Toddler & preschool years the hardest (so far).

Primary school age has so far been mixed, but still much harder than newborn days.

My dd is 20 and currently travelling around Australia, I have constant low level anxiety.

The teen years from around 14 until now have been the most stressful by a mile.

I have a one year old and a three year old and I was kinda hoping people would say under 3s were hardest!

Around 10-12 for dd, I think she teenaged early, she was lovely by the time she reached 13. 10-18 months might have been tricky with her if I’d been pregnant or had a newborn because she was a whirlwind. Ds has always been more placid, 16-18 for him or more specifically the summer after finishing 6th form when he was an adult striving for independence but with nothing to keep him busy.
Newborn to around 6 months was by far the easiest for both.

Don't let the teen years scare you. They're tricky but they're also the best in my experience. I find the emotional stuff much easier to deal with than the sleepless nights. I've found dd is basically a big articulate toddler who sleeps at 14. She's mostly lovely but when her mood swings they are a lot. They lack impulse control and are going through rapid change at a time when a lot is demanded of them. It's no wonder they're overwhelmed at times. Just lean in and join in the rollercoaster and let them lead you. The nice thing about teens is you can also ask what they need from you and what helps them/doesn't so you can adjust.

Personally yes, I found 1 and 3 until they were 2 and 4 the absolute hardest. Relentless, so much hard work, you have to do everything for them and they are just so unreasonable when you cut the apple the wrong way.
Teenager so far a delight, and even if occasionally stroppy, also so much fun. But I'm really not a fingerpainting and soft play person, so that probably also depends on the parent.

Toddlers could be an issue at times now teens