"Age 4 is the first adolescence"...how true is this?

[Denine]

Oh no, I hope you are wrong. DD turns 4 in a couple of months. She has just begun to be likeable again. The last half of 3 has been much better than just before two till 3-1/2.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Well, I was surprised about this, as I taught 4s for nearly a decade, and they seemed very sweet and cooperative (for the most part) to me!

My oldest ds has trouble with even years in general, odds are usually better.

Younger ds has been trouble since a little over 2, kind of settled at about 3 1/2. He's just turned 4, so we shall see!

I think 4 years old is a lot easier to teach, then be a parent for. I also taught that age group for years and loved it.

I can see the teen connection (moodiness, drive to be with friends, drive to fit in) Still my now 5 year old is a pretty good kid. I think we can at least protect them a bit more at this age. At 14 the real world is out there and knocking on the door. (drugs, sex etc.....) I guess we really have to do the ground work now, for then.

I always think having babies isn't too bad, teens scare me though. I tell my niece (who I dearly love and I am very close to.) I say if it wasn't for her I would be terrified of what will happen in 10 years. She says I still should be. Smart kid huh? I can only hope to have as good of a relationship with my girls as I do with her when they are 15.

 

[disneymom3]

Hmmm, I actually love the age of 4! Now 3 and 5 on the otherhand....those are not fun ages!

 

[disneymom3]

Oh no, I hope you are wrong. DD turns 4 in a couple of months. She has just begun to be likeable again. The last half of 3 has been much better than just before two till 3-1/2.

For all three of my kids, Denine that age span was the worst! I teach childcare providers and specialize in classes aimed at two year old development and I always say that whoever invented the phrase terrible two had never met a three year old!

 

[horner5]

I feel so much better after reading all of these posts! My youngest daughter just turned 4 on Thursday when we were vacationing at WDW. This trip was nicknamed afterwards as the trip of "Dictator Princess Madison". My other children (DS14 and DD 10) were so much easier as toddlers. Madison, however, runs the show, knows how to push buttons and manipulate, & spends more time in time out than the combined time outs of my other children at that age.

As hard as it was dealing with her and her moods on this past trip to WDW, I have to say the trade off was the fact that she is now 41 inches tall and could ride nearly everything with us. Fortunately, she is a thrill junkie and couldn't get enough of Tower of Terror and Splash Mountain!

I'm glad to know other parents are going through the same thing and we're not alone!

 

[paigevz]

For all three of my kids, Denine that age span was the worst! I teach childcare providers and specialize in classes aimed at two year old development and I always say that whoever invented the phrase terrible two had never met a three year old!

I taught 3s one year, and they really wore me out! They were sure fun too, though, but fought over every single toy, even if we had multiples of it, it was never enough. I've never taught 2s though, except for one boy moved up young, so couldn't compare.

 

[noodleknitter]

I'll look at my books today. It seems like every year I buy a new arsenal of parenting "guides" of some sort, trying in vain to stay one step ahead of my DD5.

Thanks! Of course, you'll need a whole new set of books for the next one!

 

[redshoes]

Having never raised teenagers I don't know what I'm in for yet. But, my four year old DS is giving me a run for my money right now. It is such an awesome age but the bad points are great as well. He is starting to have his own opinions about things, which is nice because I know what he wants and what he needs but its a pain in the butt because sometimes he's just voicing his opinion to voice his opinion. He's starting to understand that life has rules that we all have to go by, but its a pain because he's trying to push and bend all of those rules just to see how far they will go. Its so neat to see how he is finding his place in the world, but in my son's mind he is the center of everyones world and that is very diffcult to reason with at times. This is a hard age for me because I can see that he is really trying to be independent and its hard for me as a Mom to see him starting to pull away from me and to stop being my little shadow. I want him to do those things that help us to become the people that we are, but its so diffcult to know that we are heading down a road that we can never turn back on. I guess the idea of just hanging on tight and enjoying the ride should be my goal with parenting but sometimes its hard to not be a backseat driver.

 

[Missy1961]

I'm not a mom, but a hands on aunt. I spend a lot of time with 2 of my nieces, age 3 1/2 (turns 4 in August) & age 7 1/2 (8 in December). When the older one turned 4, I wasn't watching her much, but now I've been the weekend babysitter a lot. (my sister & BIL are in school, going for the PhDs in Physical Therapy--lots of weekend classes).

I'm reading this thread for advice, or maybe comfort, because I've noticed the 3 1/2 yr old getting more "attitud-y". And seeking reassurance from me. For instance, this morning, I told the 7 yr old, "I like your outfit" 3 1/2 yr old said "what about mine", and I had to tell her, yes it was pretty too. She is a lot more moody than she used to be too. So I guess this seems to be true for her!