Does anyone else feel sad as their children get older?

[Thefrozenone]

Does anyone else struggle with their kids getting older?

my LO is 3 and I feel it’s gone very quick, I’ve not always enjoyed parts of it due to solo parenting. I feel I’m finally enjoying it properly, I love play time and days out together etc, I cherish our time, but with that I have a lot of sadness and guilt that I didn’t enjoy the first couple of years, and watching LO get older is bittersweet for me - I find it hard that it’s all going so quick but also think there’s so much more good to come just in a different way.

mums with older DC’s, do you ever get over this feeling? Social media doesn’t help - makes me much more emotional about it all.

DD is an only for the same reason, but I don't want to turn the clock back. Maybe it is because I was 41 when she was born?

The other thing I try to acknowledge is that it's a very rose tinted and selective nostalgia. I'll walk past the little park and see the toddlers and be all teary eyed remembering the days when me and my friends were always bringing our toddlers to that park and didn't have to deal with school runs. I'm not remembering how much harder toddlers are to look after than older children when I'm reminiscing.

When they’re small people say it goes quickly and it does I feel I blinked and I have 2 teens. I do and don’t miss younger children. I do like my independence now and not needing childcare, have time for my hobbies,seeing friends and getting more sleep. Holidays are fun as they’re good company - although sleep in til lunchtime.

Errrm … we’re only two weeks in! So far I have noticed a few differences. Sleep has improved and she went on her own into a soft play yesterday so I actually spoke to my mum friend. I’m really hoping three and a half will be when the ship starts to steer in the right direction.

A big thing for me with DD is how negative she is -
sometimes I could offer her the moon on an stick and she’d just ‘no’ me.

I used to feel this way quite a lot until my son got very poorly and almost didn't make it and now I'm delighted when he celebrates a birthday we didn't expect for him to see. My perspective is just completely different now after that experience.

I do miss the younger version of him and it's bittersweet in the way that he's an only child but overall, I'm just grateful that I actually do get to see him grow up.