I know similar questions are asked a lot. I’m particularly interested in the opinion of women who have older or adult children who can look back on the whole spectrum of parenthood. Thanks for your input 🙂
Mothers of adult/teenage children, if you could back in time, would you do it all over again and why?
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I would in a heart beat.
I want to expand on that and say without going in to a ton of detail – parenting has not been what I expected – and that’s after being a nanny for three children (for four years at that point). Life was life a lot and we had trauma and so have our kids.
Pregnancy also triggered a lot of health issues that I still struggle with. My kids are 17 & 18 currently.
All of that being said: My kids are the absolute loves of my life. I cannot imagine my life without them. They have made me grow as a parent and as a human being. They know me inside and out – and they are the honesty I need to continue growing as a person.
Parenting is not easy. The exhaustion from the 24/7 gig cannot be overstated. I don’t think there’s any way to understand fully without experiencing it yourself. There are many stages of excitement, love, hope, exhaustion and worries – but kids grow quickly through stages. No hard part of it lasts forever for most people.
If I’d have been asked this question at one a particular time in our journey, I may have answered differently. I’m thankful I wasn’t ever given the choice to go back, because I would have missed out on the best thing I’d ever done just to avoid a temporarily really difficult time.
Yes, I would hold my sweet teenage daughter in my arms forever if I could! I often wish I could cuddle her like I did when she was a baby. The benefit of hindsight now being an experienced parent is also something that I would have loved to know earlier on, as there are certain situations I would have handled differently the second time around for her benefit.
I tried to make my ex-husband responsible and part of the co-parenting. It’s very overwhelming to be parent all of a sudden coming out of a horrible relationship.
I should have just sucked it up and taken my son fully and completely and not had him experience ish he shouldn’t have.
Also family court won’t rule and surmise on what could happen and give toxic people the chance to maybe do right.Â
I’ll feel bad about that forever probably.
I sure did save him and make it meaningful.
And that judge sure gave him ish in court – as she should.
Absolutely! My kids were a joy to raise. It wasn’t rainbows and sunshine everyday but it was still fun and rewarding.
I sort of did.
26 & 22
9 & 7
Yes. It was a huge amount of hard work and very expensive to raise and educate, but I am grateful every day for my children. They are adults in their 30’s and it is a pleasure to spend time with them.