Do you miss your children being little?

[Sarahjane789]

Do you think about your adult children now and really wish you could turn back time to when they were small and cute? Or are you happy that that part of your life is over?

So, I have a 29, 26 and 24 yo and I was v unhappily married. I did love them being small though and they were my absolute world. One was a very tricky teen ( and went to live with her dad at 16 as she preferred to be able to do what she wanted and he let her ).

I look back on the photos and they were gorgeous and wonderful and terrible all at once 🤣😬

My tricky teen has grown up to be an amazing person as have her siblings.

I'm now 50 at the end of this month with a just turned 13 yo and a 9 yo, I am now happily married with a supportive Dh and tbh it's made all the difference.

Even at this age I feel like I wish I'd had 'one more' they really have been such a delight and gosh I will miss them when they too leave like their elder siblings. I adore the cuddles.

Yes I miss them being little and there are things I wish I could change. I’m incredibly proud of the gentlemen they are and I adore my dils and grandchildren.

Yes, I was early to mid twenties.

Well had my first 2 in my 20s, had the 3rd one at 41! I just love the baby/toddler/young child stages, they bring such joy. It’s painful knowing I won’t do it again.

It’s lovely to do it all over again when you are older and wiser! And my older two adore their much younger brother, they are 34, 29, and 15 now. The teen really benefits from having adult siblings, they are great with him.

I wouldn't want to go back but I was definitely more relaxed back then when I knew they were safe in their beds every evening. I have no concerns about DS21 as he's a homebody and has a good job but DD20 jumps from drama to drama. A lot of it is self induced as she doesn't deal with things and just hopes it will sort itself out so small things turn into big ones and I worry constantly. She's an amazing person and we are very close which I love but it does also mean I have front row seats to everything that goes on in her life. I spent my work commute this morning googling how to not take on the stress of your children. If anyone knows a trick, I'm all ears!

Not especially - first at 25, 4th at 38. Youngest was 13 when I became a grandmother.

Definitely not. I’m a “teen/YP” parent. In other words, I identify and parent a lot more effectively and comfortably with that age. I was play acting the whole time from 0-12! None of it came naturally and I found it really, really hard. I did a decent job though as they are fabulous 😎

I absolutely love it since they’ve been about 14. But go back? No way!

I would love to. I have two girls aged 24 and 18 and both of them have been an absolute joy to raise. I adored them as small children and have absolutely loved and enjoyed every stage of their lives from babies, toddlers, school age, teens and now to adulthood. My eldest daughter moved to Ireland to live with her boyfriend and has made herself a wonderful life and has a successful career there. She is so happy and I feel so proud. My youngest daughter is on the cusp of leaving to go to Uni and its now I find I am looking back over all those years of raising them and it reminds me how much I have loved (and still love obviously) being a Mother. I have found myself yearning for those cuddles in bed, and watching cartoons with them on a lazy Saturday morning, the Birthdays, the holidays, the Christmas's and the Sports Days, I loved it all. I guess I am feeling like this because I am about to become an empty nester!! I also lost my Mum a couple of years ago so when I think back to those days she featured heavily in our lives at that point as we spent a lot of time with 'Nanny'

My children are, and always will be, my World and my priority but although I miss those younger days and sometimes yearn for them, I also feel excited for what is to come in this new chapter. My relationships with my girls have changed as they have got older and I now love the adults they have become and we are best friends. We are more like equals and we have fun, we banter, we debate, and I absolutely love their sense of humor and adore the times that I spend with them. xx

Know how you feel. Miss those years but now we get visits from the grandchildren and get to do the good bits again. The tantrums and mess their parents can deal with.