what for everyone has been the most challenging aspect/phase of parenting?

[minxofmancunia]

dd is 2.6 for me it has been

1. Trying to get her from breast to bottle

2. the current challenge b***y potty training!!

Still got the teenage years to come!

erm, pretty much everything

13 at the moment, but then 12 down to zero, was pretty challenging at times too!

Not living up to my expectations. I keep thinking I should be better at it than I am.

Going from 1 dc to 2, without a doubt. Total shock to the system, even more so than having dc1!

Getting their school shoes on.

I found the terrible twos to be fairly terrible, and the sleeplessness of the first year was also hard.

But I think the thing I did and do find the hardest is the relentless nature of the demands. I used to be fiercely protective of my personal space and time, and children destroy and of that. I'm pretty good at being fun mummy when I'm in the mood, but I'm pretty rubbish at it when I really just want some peace and quiet for 5 minutes.

oh dear peggotty am 14 weeks pg! Must admit I am beginning to brick it a bit and how hard it's going to be with 2, very wanted 2nd child but now the reality is sinking in...

2's were difficult with one,
then threenagers were bloody horrific with the other,
then the clingy school starters were hard,
but I guess all of that was a walk in the park compared to nightmare 9's....
with whole weekends of stroppiness and answering back to look forward to coupled with spending the entire time getting cold standing on the sidelines of various football/rugby/cricket matches.
Pretty thankless let me tell you.

With me the most challenging part is dealing with defiance. DD is 3 now, and she's very good at the selective deafness thing; especially when she's tired or whatever. She will simply not listen and will, for example, run off in the opposite direction to where we need to go. It makes me see red...and I can't think of one single thing which does any good, apart from bodily picking her up and carrying her. I hate being ignored (doesn't everyone!) and it's almost guaranteed to turn me into mad shouty mummy - I know it doesn't help either!

the lack of sleep....my ds 18mo is still an early riser 5.30am-6am every morning. however, he does sleep well through the night. the worst thing? holding my very short temper in check. I try so hard but sometimes I yell and then feel shitty afterwards....The endless maternal guilt at working full time and him being in nursery (even though he loves it and shouts his nursery workers name in the morning). The lack of time to myself after being so self centred all my life....But do you know what, I wouldn't change a thing

Minx, i am a stresshead and my dd (dc1) was in fact, a ridicuously easy baby (I now realise with hindsight ) so my experience will not necessarily be yours. Ds is 14months now and adorable and dd is 4. THings have settled down a lot!

God, my oldest is nearly 5 and since she arrived in the world there has been an ongoing list; not being able to be alone for 2 mins, not even to take a dump. Not being able to step back from an argument with a 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5 yr old and then realising they've sucked me in again. Not being able to tell a kid that you don't care what the birdie says/ their mate says/ the telly says because you want to have an adult conversation. Not being able to have a chat with my DH without mentioning the kids, not to mention the ongoing lack of sleep and the damage it causes to my mood and sanity. Errrmmm... apart from that pretty much everything.

Love them both to bits and wouldn't change it though

Terrible Twos definitely for me. Big enough to throw MEGA tantrums but not big enough to reason with. There was a couple of smacked bottoms in there, even though i REALLY didn't want to go that way.

DD has been generally good ever since. The worst thing now, as an only child she can get a bit bored at weekends and whinges a bit if we have to get on with housework. I have to say, give me half an hour to XXXX and then we'll go to the park/do baking. So DH has to do the housework, whilst us girls are otherwise occupied

Terrible twos together with recurrent ear infections. Not a good mix.

My dd is more than strong-willed that seems quite a tame description in fact. The constant wilfullness about EVERYTHING shoes, which hair band to have the ongoing battle to get out of the house on time, feel I'm becoming a bit of a shouty mummy myself and hate myself for it

The potty training though, it's driving me to distraction, she's just not getting it or point blank refuses to sit on it, and I'm trying not to compare but everyone else I know seems to have had it boxed off by this age.

sorry but

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Age 0-1: sleepless nights (now resolved, but about to go there again with DC2)

Age 1-2: fussy eating (still ongoing, sigh)

Age 2+: it's only been two weeks but, so far, bloody great tantrums, throwing and hitting (double sigh)

Potty training is driving me demented! And I though lack of sleep was tough

Only 5 months into this, but got a general one: When you and/or DC are ill.

The loss of personal time and space. More than anything.

Hardest bit was transition from primary secondary school - so aged 11-12. DD went through all sorts of upheaval, plus the onset of puberty, as well as bullying etc.

She is now 13 and a dream to have around (well, for now!)

My dad said the best bit of advice he was given when I was born was that the first 51 years were the worst

Sibling rivalry. I really don't like it when they are squabbling over petty things.

Feeling like a constant failure to the only two people in the world that matter.

Agree with NotAnOtter
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