Are all young children so tiring?

[Andyvon]

This is a follow-on to the question I posted earlier in Family.

My wife and I baby-sat my 3 year old niece (K) yesterday - and I'm exhausted! I ache all over in places I didn't even know I had! K especially likes being held upside-down by her ankles, spun around and then walked through the house so that she can touch various things while upside-down. As soon as I laid her on the floor and sat down to recover she was grabbing my hand and pulling me onto the floor to play with her dolls house, games and toys. I also had to read lots of books (I know all about the Skeleton people, Princess Spaghetti, King Cupcake etc). K is supposed to be ill!

I'm 48 and I've never had children. Since K has been born I've started to get some inkling of how much time and effort parents put into raising a child. I thought babies could be put to bed and they slept all night but my brother and SIL were up every two hours feeding her. K is now up every morning at 6.30 reading her books, playing and waking them up. My brother and SIL say they are permanently exhausted - and I'm not surprised!

Are all children that tiring then? I'm starting to think they are. I never took any notice of people with children before but now I see them and I think they've probably done everything my brother and SIL have. If they have three children - then they've done it all three times! I'm now seeing parents in a whole new light. If all kids are the same I raise my metaphorical hat to parents as I never realised what you do.

[Mamyalynne]

Well for all they are tiring the rewards are tenfold.

Mum of 2 and Gran of 4 ♥

[douglas9401]

I'm a mere parent but yes, what mamyalynne said. :)

[ummmm]

I have 3 kids....At the time I didn't find it tiring. With hindsight I don't know how I coped.

Eldest (daughter) was fine but I didn't really have a routine with her. She went to bed when I went to bed so we slept in in the mornings. I was only 18 so was muddling through with ignorance...

Son...Nightmare. He was as good as gold for me but would not go to anyone else. And I mean no one. He fed every two hours as well and I didn't get him off the breast until he was 15 months old.

Youngest son....well I thought the one above was a nightmare until he was born. He was great for feeding and sleeping but his waking hours were spent destroying the house. He emptied plantpots...while I was cleaning that he'd be pulling all the books off the shelf. He coloured his bedroom in....he tried to colour my bedroom in. He'd empty cupboards and destroy the contents. Nothing could contain this child. He could get through cupboard locks and climb stair gates. He could do this in the time it took me to have a wee...!!

Now...they are 14 and 12...and I actually pine for the days when I didn't have to wake each morning to a scrap. The arguments as soon as they walk in from school....

Please God let them grow out of it soon....

[trt]

They didnt used to be but, unfortunately they are so spoilt and rude they are becoming a nightmare.

By the way I have 4 grown up kids and 3 grandchildren, all as good as gold..its the upbringing.

[slinkycat]

They will grow out of it ummm, give it til they're 20 and they might actually start being civil to each other!

[ummmm]

trt.....I don't think so. You can't dismiss a 3 year old as spoilt for wanted her Uncle to play play play. I remember being like that with my Uncles....

Rude? Where did that come from?

[ummmm]

Slinky....you've just shattered my dreams...

[slinkycat]

Andy yes they are tiring like you wouldn't believe, when my daughter was three & the lads were born, I started hallucinating from lack of sleep! No regrets though and as Mamya said the rewards more than make up for any of the difficult bits:-)

[slinkycat]

Sorry ummm! maybe thats just my two, identical twins, thought they would be so close but they barely spoke through their teens apart from "retard" or "moron" to each other!

[ummmm]

Really? How easily can you tell them apart?

Mine call each other 'moron' and 'retard' and much worse.....I just ban them from the computer now :-)

They are both lovely to me and OH though. They've never been embarrassed to kiss me in front of their mates....awwww

[Andyvon]

Thanks for the answers everyone. I think I should have rephrased the question to be 'exhausting' and not 'tiring'.

It sounds as if you had a hectic few years Ummm, and still are. I will say that my brother and I really didn't get along in our teens. That was until we got our first cars and then we were inseparable. We've been as brothers should be ever since. I'm sure your sons will be too. Perhaps first cars will do the trick like it did with us.
My SIL is the same Slinky. She says she's permanently exhausted and can't even think straight sometimes. Then she has to hold down a high pressure job to pay the mortgage.

As I said, I really look at parents in a different light now. I have no real idea of what it's like to be a parent of course but the last 3 years have given me just a glimmer of what's involved. I thoroughly enjoy baby-sitting K and she loves having me there apparently (she ignores my wife at the moment). I know myself well enough that I would have made a good father but children never came along.

All you AB parents must feel a great sense of achievement when you see your children growing up and happy. Especially so when they leave home and have their own life. As I said, I don't wear hats but I take my metaphorical one off to you all.

[ummmm]

It is hard work...but it flies by. I'd love to go back and give the little boy in my avatar a massive hug.

I have to stop myself from treating him like a baby....then I read some of the things he puts on FB and realise how articulate he is...

[slinkycat]

They look really different ummm,and have totally different personalities, one works at a gym and plays rugby, works out a lot so he's really, erm, physical,and loud (in a nice way!) whereas the other is a dreamer, guitar player, and introspective.
Mind you if they both had their hair the same and were the same build, then yes physically they would be identical, though they would never admit that!

[annie0000]

I think each age has it's different issues - my two are 13 months apart and were absolutely exhausting when they were younger - it gets easier as they get older. My boys are 10 and 9 now and are quite self sufficient. My neighbour who has two boys aged 4 and 2 babysat for us last night and couldn't believe how little she had to do. They watched a dvd and made themselves popcorn, played a couple of games, made toast and hot chocolate for their own supper and took themselves upstairs, washed, brushed their teeth, put their laundry in the basket aand read for a little while then put their lights out and went to sleep. She said it was great, she had an evening to herself really, she felt a bit guilty and kept going in to chat to them, but they were perfectly fine. She couldn't believe the contrast from the physical exhaustion of looking after her two little ones. It gave her hope for the future. I also put the icing on the cake when I told her that they will get themselves up and breakfasted in the morning too!

The work now is mainly as a supervisor and taxi service. Taking them and their friends swimming or to the cinema or wherever......and sometimes the mental torture if they decide that they are not going to get on for some reason.

p.s. Mine used to love being dangled upside down too - had to stop it when they got too tall and too heavy in case I dropped them on their heads!!!