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Parenting Bringing up the shorties so they aren't completely messed up

View Poll Results: Favorite age for your kids?
Infant 3 21.43%
Toddler 6 42.86%
Kid 4 28.57%
Pre-teen 0 0%
Teen 1 7.14%
Voters: 14. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 02-16-2004, 09:38 AM   #1
Whit
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Favorite age for kids?

      When I was a single parent with three month old kid I hated it. The kid had a strange power over me that made me do it anyway but it was no fun for me. I hated the late night feeding and diaper changes. Still hated it when my daughter came around.
      Now when they hit the toddler stage things picked up. They could interact a lot more, have simple conversations and, of course, play. I mean really play not paw at something a pretty color. Most kids this age love to be tossed around and I love to be the one throwing them. It's a fun age. Fun age for me.
      Then we have the kid stage. The age they're going to school learning new things you have nothing to do with. They can have a real conversation with you, albiet a simple one. And questions, lots and lots of questions. They still like to roughhouse, but it's not so easy anymore. Also a good stage. I enjoy the questions, and I still get to roughhouse.
      Then we have the newest name for a stage the 'Preteen'. Gah. You know they're using foul language on the play ground. They start demanding privacy. Probably the first age where they question a parents competancy. Oh yeah, and this is also the age when most start getting really curious about sex. Talking about sex with your kid sucks every bit as much as talking about sex with your parents. I like the higher level conversations and the more complex questions, but damn this stage is harder.
      Then comes the (Please add horror movie music in your head) dread Teens. They hate you and think all adult are stupid and don't understand. Okay that's an overstatement. They may well be tolerant of you. Come'on though, we know what we were like when we were teens. Shouldn't have to say any more. My kids aren't there yet, so I have no more to say.

So the queston is, what's your favorite age for a kid?
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Old 02-16-2004, 10:01 AM   #2
xoxoxoBruce
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I vote for teens, heh, heh, heh.
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Old 02-16-2004, 10:18 AM   #3
SteveDallas
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Definitely about 9 or 10 months.... They can't run away, they can't talk back, and they can't say they'd really rather have Chef Boy-Ardee Ravioli instead of the delicious home-cooked meal you spent several hours cooking.
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Old 02-16-2004, 12:11 PM   #4
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With three kids two years apart, I went through each of those early stages concurrently -- and I can tell you, it's not the stage, it's the kid. After my second was born I had the requisite little happy family; one boy, one girl. They were as different as night from day. After the third, I kept wondering if she would be more like her brother or sister in various behaviors and traits -- well, let me tell you, it isn't a two-dimensional continuum! The third was different from the other two in ways I had not previously even considered possible!

Each behaved differently from the others in each "stage." Even though we're not supposed to feel this way, and certainly NEVER supposed to admit it, each has been my "favorite" at different times.

Right now, my 14 year old son is the most entertaining and interactive he has ever been, despite occasional periods of sullenness. My formerly cheerful, compliant middle daughter, soon to be 12, has become very "sassy" and less willing to play that perennial negotiator role. My ebullient youngest daughter, just 10, has become much more shy and self-aware.

I love 'em all, but as my very reserved friend (with two exteremely well-mannered children) just confided in me "don't you just want to beat the shit out of them sometimes?"
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Old 02-16-2004, 12:21 PM   #5
Griff
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I love my youts and they're getting big enough at 7 and 9 to be pretty self-sufficient and fun to talk to. I'd say though that at 2 to 3 years kids are just too cute for words.
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Old 02-16-2004, 12:35 PM   #6
undone
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favorite age for kids


Hello Cellar Dwellers,
I am brand spanking new so please advise me if I am not posting correctly. Technology is not my forte.
I have three children between the ages of 5 years and 4 months. It is the middle one at 2 and a half that seems the most irritating on a daily basis. Maybe she isn't getting enough attention or maybe she is just whiny by nature. I think I like the baby the most right now as she smiles at me even if I haven't brushed my teeth. My five year old is great too, always coming up with these pearls of wisdom at such a young age.
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Old 02-16-2004, 03:50 PM   #7
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Welcome, Undone -- are three kids under the age of 6 the reason for your name? I moved to a new house when my kids were 4, 2 and 6 mos old. That was 10 years ago, and there are STILL boxes I haven't unpacked!

Keep up the hard work and don't beat 'em, and you should be fine.
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Old 02-16-2004, 04:49 PM   #8
undone
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favorite age for kids?

Thanks. The threats of beatings to ensue is a regular one but I don't see how actually doing it could possibly make things better...after all, I want them to lower the volume not the opposite. Gee, I hadn't thought of moving as a way of increasing the tension. I am making a transition at work. I am leaving the place I have been for 5 years and going somewhere where I can work part-time. I want to actually see the girls grow up.
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Old 02-17-2004, 08:43 AM   #9
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Bravo! Part time work is the civilized way to go, if one can afford it. (Most people I know who claim they can't afford to vork part time are not being creative enough, IMHO.) I don't think I'll ewver work full-time again -- too inhumane. I'll do without the SUV, cable TV, dry cleaning and professional haircuts, thanks!
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Old 02-17-2004, 10:55 AM   #10
undone
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Yes me too! I don't care about new clothes or movies or dinner out. After all, If I had maybe I wouldn't have chosen to be a parent in the first place. I don't know what it is like in other parts of the country but I have been a minority as a working mother around these parts. Only two of my friends are full-time, then one other works part-time. The rest stay home. I never want to get to the point where I don't even get dressed or comb my hair like some of my neighbors. Horrifying. Plus I am the girls role-model and I want them to see that people have to get out into the world to some degree, that it is healthy.
Looking forward to volunteering at preschool. It will be similar to working with some of my clients!
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Old 02-17-2004, 04:47 PM   #11
warch
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8.
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Old 02-17-2004, 05:21 PM   #12
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-9 months
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Old 02-20-2004, 06:09 AM   #13
staceyv
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in the womb
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Old 02-24-2004, 08:13 PM   #14
aerion_13
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I'm from the generation who stayed at home and raised the kids. I loved every minute of it. Although once they were old enough, I was back working p/t. Always need a challenge in life.
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Old 03-17-2004, 10:54 PM   #15
aerion_13
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I hated infants because mine were colic. I love the Toddler Age!
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