What characteristics of the child do you miss most? Will the come back?

[eyelevelgrill]

Mine's 13 3/4, classic Mole territory.

He talked in a kind loving voice to us all, he was a real peacemaker. He could bring people together and was blind to their faults.

Now he argues back in a ghastly legalistic way and corrects needlessly. (I wonder who he gets it from?)

And of course I can't get him off the xbox....

Will his loving nature just be a bit hidden as he adjusts? Please say yes.

Is it a bit like having a universally liked child in the house?

Dd2 13yo. What I miss the most is the way she used to cry for the silliest things, like not being able to make a perfect ponytail or if she forgot what she was going to say because we made her wait her turn! I LOVE how she always looked just absolutely devastated when she cried! Such drama and SO adorable! I know, I know... I am a mean mom...

But Helena I guess you only liked it because you had the power to comfort her?

Mine are 17 and 20 now and although I loved the younger years there's not much I am missing if I am honest.
Things have just evolved and I haven't had any issues with either of the lads.DS2 just makes me laugh all the time and never stops talking. He is still loving as he was as a young child. Even after we had a niggle at each other the other morning and he stormed out of the house to college he came back and opened the door and gruffly shouted ' By the way I love you' which made me laugh because that is so like his dad. Even when me and his dad fall out he still does loving things!

As I said, things just evolve and you find yourself doing new fun things, even with the 20 year old.

I love looking at old photos though and think it was only a couple of years since something happened then I release it was nearer 15!!
Time moves and shifts everything.

This thread is making me cry!
My eldest dd is 22 and we are now friends, so it's come around from the 12-16 age when she was mostly a pain in the arse. Trouble is she now lives 500 miles away so i have to appreciate her maturity via facetime mostly.
DD 2 is 8 and has always been a daddys girl so i've never really had many cuddles from her and she's just starting to get that answery back know it all attitude. :/
My ds though is my baby, (7) proper mummy's boy, totally adores me and needs a cuddle around every 10 minutes. I think my world may end if this ever changes!

My ds is 15 months, reading this thread just made me ridiculously grateful for the fact I can get hugs and kisses on tap!
Here's hoping there is a cure for the terrible teens by the time he gets there!
Also, around your ds sounds a lot like my brother who when he got his first ok pay job decided to go out and buy sirloin steaks for his own tea, took them home and told my dad he wasn't eating the naff food dad cooked anymore, he could afford better now. Then asked my dad to cook his steak as he didn't know how. And then couldn't understand why our parents then asked him to contribute to the rent and bills, now he has a job the money is for exciting stuff like steak not for bills!
This was only last year and he's 21!

The puppy stage is like a new born you will be up on the night. At 11 months I now have a toddler dog. Can't be out of sight for too long. Worry if it goes quiet.
BUT he greets me every night by standing on his back legs front legs over my shoulder massive hugs.
The teenagers well that's a grunt followed by what's for dinner

"My ds though is my baby, (7) proper mummy's boy, totally adores me and needs a cuddle around every 10 minutes. I think my world may end if this ever changes!"
Please give him an extra cuddle right now!

Lol Monkeys that is my lovely son too xx

I'm not sure how scientific it is ( probably not at all) but I remember someone saying that girls/ women are affected more evenly through hormones for a longer period of their lives through periods whilst boys are more affected through puberty and get a bigger shot of hormones

Exactly, eyelevel! Her devastated crying gave me the excuse to smother her with squeezes and kisses, which always made her feel better!

Dd1 16yo has been dating bf for 8 months. I've been dreading, since before they were even "official", the day they break up. I know I won't be able to comfort her then :(

Wow I could have written this. We are exactly at this stage too. Ironically I bought him the first two Adrian Mole books to read. (Which he begrudgingly admits are really good). Sad thing is he only reads when I've punished him and taken the Xbox controller away!

Another one checking in here...sunny natured child been enveloped by moody and often obnoxious 12 year old. Weirdly it just seemed to happen overnight!

It's why nature makes teenage boys smell so terrible .... helps mums get through this stage

They do come good afterwards - mine are 25, 19, 18 and 17 years old....they all had the terrible teens at some point but are almost fully human again now.
In the dark years (why did I have them so close together???) when they were foul - I stepped back a bit and let them get on with it.
I get cuddles again now and have a gang of friends that I am proud to call my children.

Helena,
I remember in post natal classes they said "what's the best thing about having a baby"
My friend said:
"They cry and cry and cry until you pick them up and hold them and then they just stop"
She sounds a bit like you.

I remember sitting at the kitchen table with the two boys aged 1 and 4 squeezing to get close to me and DH gave me a kiss and I said to my MIL

"I'll never be this loved again"

And I think I was right and that's a big bittersweet thing.

I know I'll get flamed for this but I'm sure that when my ds gets married his dw will come well before me in his pecking order- (as she should!), but by contrast I'll somehow have a stronger bond with my dd when she's an adult even if she's married. You know the old saying..

Maybe that's why I'm mourning my baby boy who needed me.. I'm not sure he'll be back in any form!