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If I had to to choose, and it's not easy... it would be 2, 3 and 4. Cute, entertaining,hilarious, lovable, watching the scientists in them, seeing that amazing learning capacity, and oh those chubby legs with one sock rolled down.
what were your favorite ages of your kids lives? and what stage was the easiest?
there was a recent thread about whether or not people would have kids if they could do it over... and i was thinking you wouldn't want to ask people with babies/toddlers because that stage is so hard and you don't get any sleep.... but then i was thinking you don't want to ask people with teenagers because that's the stage where kids hate their parents and are rebellious. but i was surprised a few people said that you don't want to ask anyone with adult kids because then the kids might be estranged.
so i started thinking - when is it actually enjoyable? so what stage was the easiest? or the most fun? or what were your favorite ages?
I love toddlers because they made me laugh all the time but they were exhausting. My husband and I liked the ages 5 to 13 because they could somewhat take care of themselves, dress themselves, use the bathroom, bathe themselves but the best part they liked being with us and they loved anything we did, any activity and any trip. We had many great vacations when the children were those ages and those trips continue and we still travel with our kids now.
>>When they left home for good, it took awhile, but I began to miss them coming in and out of the house, and I missed the expectancy of a visit home. It became hard for them to visit us. I did get lonely for them.<<
We missed them from the day they left for college. It was awful. Now they have their own lives and wives/partners so we see them even less. We always miss them and wish we could spend more time with them.
I don't know if I'm unusual--I suspect not--but I enjoyed my kids at every age for different reasons.
Us too. We always wished we could have a dial and dial them back to being babies or toddlers for a while, then dial them up to age 12, then college, etc. They made us laugh every day of their lives.
but then i was thinking you don't want to ask people with teenagers because that's the stage where kids hate their parents and are rebellious.
As a teenager, I did not hate my parents but it was that my parents often resented ME for failing to do or be what they wanted or hoped I'd be at that age (13-16) and I was only "rebellious" because I wanted to do and be something that they didn't like so they turned it all around to make me look wrong and bad (rebellious) when the ugly truth is that they were wrong and bad which caused me to become rebellious and NOT LIKE or LOVE them any more.
They, not I, set up all the conditions for my unfriendly behaviors which society calls "rebellious" and/or hateful.
Had my parent been: fair, kind, honest, loving, friendly and REASONABLE, I would have never become "rebellious", sneaky, dishonest (just like them) or ever resented (hated) them. They, not I, made it impossible to genuinely love and respect them so they LOST me quite early on with their neglect, harsh punishments, lack of love, respect and friendship which FORCED me to go under ground at a very early age and behave in a very rebellious, angry and HATEFUL way towards them BUT all behind their menacing backs and under their ignorant noses.
So when I see teens who are hateful or rebellious, I know for a fact that they are the VICTIMS of rotten parenting with perhaps a few genetic flaws thrown in.
Your kids would absolutely continue to love, respect and adore you forever IF ONLY YOU had the goddamned brains to love, respect and accept them from day one. So whatever is wrong or bad with your teenagers - BLAME YOUR SELVES......'COS YOU SET IT ALL UP TO MAKE YOUR KIDS THAT WAY!!!
[quote=convextech;46589889]I enjoyed the college years because they're out of their teenage phase
...Where the disastrous effects of BAD PARENTING begins to show up and the pathetic parents have no idea what to do about the obviously bad job they've done with there now rebellious and angry kids.
and they finally realize you might know a thing or two after all.
...Or they get it that you really are a stupid Ass but have to hold their tongue until they leave home.
[quote=gouligann;46595476]I liked the 10 year old age with our boys. At 10, they are old enough to have a very good conversation with, understand most things, can tell you where they hurt and they aren't in the throes of teenage hormones yet.
LOL, I'd say: in the throes of BAD PARENTING. It was BAD PARENTING, not hormones, that made a mess of our teen years but most adults will not acknowledge that fact and will find many other things to blame, such as hormones or genetics, for their own inadequacies as parents.
I like the adult stage too from about 25 on. Before 25, they are still kind of like teenagers at times, but from there on, they are mature and are like friends instead of kids.
Kids of any age can be and should be like "friends" IF ONLY their parents allowed them to be! And being like teenagers is all about the quality of parenting these teenagers are given. Good teens are getting good parenting. Bad teens are getting BAD parenting. It's just that simple!!!
[quote=coschristi;46602095]
If I had to pick a "least favorite" age range it would be the ages of 10 to 12. At some point in that range my kids seemed to go through a fairly UN-endearing phase.
I remember that stage. It was when our fooish parents really turned on the punishments, ridicule, sarcasm and un-endearing behaviors that started us off on our departure from loving and respecting them and things got even worse from there as our very inadequate parents kept making things worse and worse in their home. As with most un-endearing situations, our parents set it all up with their very BAD parenting.
The "Terrible Two's" are a riot. So are the teens. Elementary schoolers are mentally demanding but cool.
Yes, all those stages and phases are a "riot" or problem for an inadequate parent!
2nd favorite for me would be the teens. I'm not saying it's easy but "teens these days" are an interesting bunch. I had a few that wanted to party & had run ins with schools & even the police. I guess I was "lucky" that I had been an awful teen myself & was able to mitigate alot of it by being somewhat un-surprisable.
I was an "awful" teen all because I had AWFUL parents/parenting, which completely FAILED to help me be a good and respectful kid. My parents simply did not have what it takes to help us kids become normal, sensible, loving and respectful humans so, we turned out to be pretty bad as teens thanks to LOUSY PARENTING!
A lot depends on the kid. If you have a good baby who doesn't cry much and sleeps through the night at 6 weeks like my second did I would have to say 6 weeks - 13. Once he hit 13 it was all downhill. I'm a bit of a control freak and with a baby who is not walking yet they can't get into much trouble. :-)
My first one was colicky for the first 6 months but other than that never gave us a bit of trouble other than coming into our room in the middle of the night until he was about 10. He was and still is a delight to be around and he is 31.
my sons are just a year about so it was tough enough....but I liked when they were 4 & 5 best. They were fun then...
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A child's perspecitive
