What age was the hardest to parent?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine are 16 and 13. It’s obviously less physically demanding now, but to me it’s so much more stressful. They are pushing for independence, think they know everything, no longer adore you as a parent. It’s just a lot less rewarding. They are good kids, but I constantly have to remind myself I am playing the long game and my reward is not today or tomorrow but 10 years from now when they are launched adults with (hopefully) good heads on their shoulders.

Mine are the same age and I’m finding it so incredibly difficult. You think you know them so well and it turns out you have no idea what’s going on inside their heads. It’s terrifying.

This. And they all seem to be questioning their gender or sexual orientation - which seems so bizarre to me as a middle aged person.

They really aren’t all doing that. It’s really just a certain subset.

[Anonymous]

I agree with most of the posters it depends almost exclusively on the kid and your perspective. I have 3 kids - my oldest is super smart and talented and he was no problem until highschool (even potty training was easy with him). Once he got to highschool he was a major pain.

My middle has learning difficulties so elementary school was a bucket of blood with her. Reading was a slog. It took me two years to teach her to ride a bicycle- she was still wetting the bed in 5th grade. That was a really dark time for us. My wife and I thought we were going to have to put together a trust fund for her. But by middle school she blossomed now in HS she’s in all APs, no more testing accommodations, varsity athlete and she gotten accepted to several colleges. We can’t believe how much she ‘s improved- an actual miracle.

My youngest has been a breeze - happy, popular, talented. He’s been a total joy. But if I think hard about him he had lots of tough moments but in comparison to the other two they don’t seem like anything.

I hope that helps. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Currently have two teens and an elementary child. I find middle school (age 12-13) to be very difficult.

I have a neighbor whose adult child seems to be hard and her child went to top schools and seems not to know what to do with her life as a 24 year old.

I have friends who had kids who were terrible sleepers with colic so the early years were the worst.

Yes

[Anonymous]

Bigger kids, bigger problems.