Parenting - The Owners Manual

Is there a particular age or stage when parenting is automatically easier? A recent pole asked parents two questions:

1. At what age have you found your children the easiest to rear?

3. At what age have you found your children the most difficult to rear?

Sixteen percent of the parents responded that they had found all times equally easy and difficult, and 2 percent said they had never found an easy time. But the remainder of those who responded made a pattern that looked like this:

Age Easiest to Rear

0-5 26%

6-12 37%

13-15 9%

16-18 3%

19-21 3%

over 21 2%

Age Hardest to Rear

0-5 8%

6-12 5%

13-15 41%

16-18 32%

19-21 4%

over 21 1%

What was interesting to discover in the pole was that parents who still had kids at home thought that the easiest stages were those they didn't currently have children in. And likewise, the most difficult stages were voted to be the ones they currently had children in.

So, it would appear that every stage of parenting has it's challenges, but hopefully we make the most of whatever stage we are dealing with and work hard at making it the best stage yet.