What was your favorite age?

[goldenguru]

I have enjoyed every stage of easy child's life. He's been a joy to raise.

With difficult child - I really enjoyed from about 3 until 8. She was so contented. Very happy little camper.

I'm with Janet. Adolescence nearly killed me.

As much as I loved those younger years, I'm enjoying them now as adults too. Sometimes I miss having them home - but mostly I'm glad they've found their own ways.

 

[donna723]

Definately when they were very little! I think my favorite time with both of them was when they first started putting words together clearly enough that they could finally communicate exactly what was going through their little heads. And let me tell you, there's some strange stuff going on in there! When they're infants they cry or they want something, and you're wishing they could talk so they could just tell you what's on their mind instead of leaving you guessing. Then when they finally do communicate, it's just ... WOW! Who knew!

It was at about this age when I finally realized that my daughter assumed that when she hurt, I could feel it too, physically, just like she did! If I didn't respond, she'd get mad at me. Her head hurt once (she never mentioned it) and she got furious with me for not doing anything about it. She was in tears, smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand, and screamed at me, "IT HURTS RIGHT HERE! (smack!) CAN'T YOU FEEL IT???" Funny, she never made this same assumption about their father!

Yep, they're like little aliens at that age! Raising the martian babies!

 

[Steely]

Dude started talking when he was 7 mos. old. By the time he was 1 year old he was putting together 3&4 word sentences. By the time he was 18 months we were actually talking back and forth and he was SO SO very sweet. He adored me and I him at that age. And he was such a funny kid.

-He still makes me laugh when no one else can.

Oh Star.........major tears. That is my son. Completely. Even now, when the chips are down, he can make me laugh. Like no one else.

None the less, I so miss when he was little, before 6, and I could scoop him up and kiss him until he giggled. When he brought light, and energy to everything he touched.

He is such a special person, deep, deep, down inside, such a special person. I miss his innocence.

 

[Ally]

For me it was when Morgan was less than 2 and definatly before she started school. She was a cheerful, fun toddler who loved to cuddle. She was easy going and was a total mama's girl. Where did that little girl go and what happened to make her like she is today :-(

 

[tracy551]

My favorite age I think was from 1year to about grade 3 or 4. He was such a happy kid. His nick name was "Smilely" He was always laughing and making us laugh. In pre school he would run and give me a big hug when I came to pick him up. His older brother and him would play with cars for hours and "rev" the engines all day. When he was in the 3rd grade he went into a reading program for help and excelled thru the program and was picked to go to another school to read to the kindergarden class. I remember this like it was yesterday and it makes me cry.

 

[busywend]

I would go with before school started as well. There were still some good times until about 9. Now it is few and far between, but I do still enjoy her at times.

She can be really funny.
Sometimes without even knowing it.

When she was about 5 in the football season....

She calls my stepdad 'Papa'. There is a major rivalry between the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins. Whenever the Bills played the Dolphins there was a lot of talk about it.

difficult child pipes up, "I want Papa's Ami to win." We all sat there for a minute trying to figure that one out. Miami Dolphins or 'My'ami Dolphins. She thought Papa was saying My Ami Dolphins, like they belonged to him! So, they are now 'Papa's Ami Dolphins' around here!

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I would go with before school started as well. There were still some good times until about 9. Now it is few and far between, but I do still enjoy her at times.

She can be really funny.
Sometimes without even knowing it.

When she was about 5 in the football season....

She calls my stepdad 'Papa'. There is a major rivalry between the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins. Whenever the Bills played the Dolphins there was a lot of talk about it.

difficult child pipes up, "I want Papa's Ami to win." We all sat there for a minute trying to figure that one out. Miami Dolphins or 'My'ami Dolphins. She thought Papa was saying My Ami Dolphins, like they belonged to him! So, they are now 'Papa's Ami Dolphins' around here!

Major awwwwwwwww content there.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Wow, what a way to start a morning! I've got tears in my eyes but a smile on my face!

With mine I find it hard to pinpoint. There are things at every age that I really love. But I did love my little babies!!!!!

I think with easy child I really am enjoying these teen years. I have a relationship with her that I always hoped I would have with my mother. At times I look at her and can't believe she only has one more year of high school before she's off on her new life journey of college. Then she comes over and needs or hug or some help on something and she's my little girl again.

With difficult child, it's hard to say. Since he's only 12, I've not gone through those horrid adolescense years yet! He's a sweet kid, and that has never gone away. He's really a momma's boy - I'm working on lessening that and helping him gain more confidence in himself! I can see him living here when he's 25!!! So, I'll get back to you on my favorite time with him.

Sharon

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

Busywend, that was the sweetest thing! Papa's Ami Dolphins.

HWGA is right, heavy AWWWWW content.

 

[donna723]

My kids both talked really early too. My son would sometimes startle people when they heard these grown-up sounding words coming out of this tiny little infants' mouth.

I remember once going to the grocery store with my daughter when she was still just a toddler in the baby seat of the cart. I had just picked her up from daycare and we were picking up things to grill hamburgers on the patio when we got home. I was done and heading for the checkout when she said, "Don't forget the chuckle, Mommy". What? "Chuckle, Mommy! Chuckle!" She was so insistant and I knew that SHE knew exactly what she was talking about. So I wheeled her up and down the aisles and told her to look for the "chuckle". We got to the picnic supplies and she got all excited, yelling "Chuckle, Mommy!" She was pointing to a big shelf of CHARCOAL ... I had completely forgotten to get it, but she didn't forget!

Another time at about 18 months old she was in the pediatrics ward of the hospital with viral pneumonia but she didn't seem to feel all that bad. She was supposed to stay in her room, which was hard to do because the whole hallway was full of toys, bikes, wagons, lots of other kids, and a big play room. She started to cry and kept saying she wanted to "see the pipple". I thought she meant "people", the other kids, that she was lonely and wanted someone to play with. She begged and pleaded, and somewhere along the line, "pipple" turned into "bice-pipple". And I finally figured out that she could care less about the other kids, what she wanted was a "bicycle", one of the Big Wheel tricycles that the other kids were riding up and down the hall! Mama was dense, but she finally got it!

 

[I'm going crazy!!!]

i definitely loved infancy when i could hold him all the time and he didn't complain one bit now i can rarely touch him for long before he gets angry, i also enjoyed before medications (school) because even through all the hyperness and difficulties he was HAPPY now he's starting to get there again every night at bedtime he sits in our bed and me & him watch cartoons together until he falls asleep

 

[muttmeister]

With older difficult child, my favorite time is NOW, at age 23. He was awful from the time he was born. Yes, we had some good times and I do treasure those but, truthfully, he's better now than he's ever been. (I hope my saying that isn't going to cause him to have some kind of relapse.) I enjoyed all of your Christmas stories but the only one of him I can remember was when he was about 4 and he was with a group that was supposed to sing a song at the Christmas Eve service. He and one other little boy spent the whole song standing in front of everybody sticking their tongues out at the congregation. That was mild compared to a lot of things he did.
I did enjoy difficult child#2 when he was little, before he started school. After that, the nightmares began in earnest. I'm still hoping he will find his way. He's 20 and so maybe sometime in the next 10 years or so he will become a human being. I have my fingers crossed.

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

I've been giving it a lot of thought, because my response about Tink made it sound like she is a horrible kid, and she is not. I absolutely was head-over-heels in love with her when she was a baby/toddler, but I think I was in love with the whole situation because I did not have it before (mom and dad and baby in the house together). I loved watching her with her dad, and I loved watching her learn something new every day.

But, I'm really enjoying her right now. She is SO clever. Since we've moved, it's like we've had a whole new bonding experience.

So for Tink, I'd say so far, this past month.

 

[KFld]

My difficult child was very collicky when he was an infant. I wanted a baby so bad and I remember my first night home thinking, OMG, what did I do??? I think between 2 and 3 were the best ages for him. Actually now that I think of it, he's 20 now and doing better then he ever has in his life, so maybe 20 is my new favorite age :smile:

For easy child, I think because we adopted her from Romania at 1 1/2, all of her years were my favorite because I was so in awe of watching her grow and adapt. I can't think of one year with her being any better then the next or last. She was such a good baby from the minute I brought her home, and now she is an awesome young lady.

 

[standswithcourage]

I guess my favorite years were the baby years and on up into 10. It was just him and me mostly because I stayed home and my husband worked. We had a bond that was very strong - maybe too strong! Anyway, he was always a sweet kid - we bought him a kitten for Christmas when he was about 16 or 17 because that is whaat he wanted - the kitten had an ear infection and we took him to the vet - at that time my difficult child still had a heart - he took care of that kitten - we still have the cat - but the cat will not have anything to do with mygfg - when he was using and we were not here he would torture the cat by throwing him in the air, etc. He told us he did that - the cat is terrified! Sooooo my wonderful years were young ones. I do miss it so much.

 

[SunnyFlorida]

My favorite years were up to about age 12.

I can remember difficult child 2 when he was in 2nd grade running and jumping in my arms when I picked him up from after school care.

difficult child 1 is still the one who likes to go shopping, to plays, to musicals, to thrift stores....

I could do without the 14-20yr old stage.

Now that they are both >20...it's not too bad.

 

[VLong]

I think the cuddly, kissy stage of up until 5 or 6, although Alex is still a cuddle bunny and still kisses me good night at 15!

I totally agree with Sunny about doing without the ages of 14-19, with both of my boys, but Justin mostly - awful from 13 to 19. Alex hasn't really had an awful age yet, but he has been living with his dad for almost a year. He's doing wonderfully, passing all his classes, but I'm glad ex is getting to deal with the crappy teenage attitude he does get once an a while!!

They were both the most happiest, sweetest, wonderful little boys from the day they were born. Happy infants, happy toddlers. I was truly blessed. I never was sleep deprived. They both only woke up once a night from the time I brought them home. In fact, Justin slept through the night from day one until he was almost 5 months old. Yes, I had it easy!!

I do miss the baby years...but I will get to enjoy it all again, but this time as Grandma, in about 7 weeks!!