As you can see from the tweets, parents have very different priorities depending on how old their kids are—and it shows. One survey found that compared with mothers of preschoolers, parenting is considerably less exhausting for moms with teens.
Nearly half (45%) of moms whose kids are all younger than 6 say parenting is tiring all or most of the time (perhaps not surprising given how much sleep deprivation newborns and infants require), compared to just 26% of moms who have only teens who say the same.
The same survey discovered there are differences between moms of preschoolers and moms of teens when it comes to time with their kids, too.
Moms of teens are more likely than moms of young kids to report not spending enough time with their children—33% of moms of teens feel this way, compared with 19% of moms with only young kids.
While the stereotype of the moody teen with a closed bedroom door might come to mind first, other factors likely play a role—moms with older children are more likely to work outside the home, and older kids are more independent and spend more time out of the house, either at school or at extracurricular activities.
However, while they may not see their kids as much as they would like, moms with teens do have more time for themselves. Four in ten moms of teens say they don’t have enough time for friends or hobbies, compared with 56% of moms of young kids.
Overall, about nine in ten moms with children under 18 say being a parent is rewarding and enjoyable all—or at least most—of the time. Moms whose kids are all 5 and younger are especially likely to find it enjoyable all of the time—54% do, compared with 41% of moms with only teens. Similarly, parents of young kids are more likely to find parenting rewarding all of the time, with 61% saying so compared to 47% of moms with teens.
At this time of year, psychologist Jim Taylor, Ph.D., says parents should keep in mind what they want their children to get out of the summer overall.
"I recommend anything that fosters kids' physical, intellectual, social, spiritual, environmental, cultural, and artistic development," he adds.
"In other words, what are the experiences that will further children's greater understanding of themselves and the world in which they live."
"Also, parents should focus on summer activities that encourage certain values that parents want to instill in their children, for example, hard work, compassion, or learning about other cultures," Taylor adds.
"If children are into sports, the arts, or another specialized area, activity-specific camps or other experiences devoted to these are a great way to allow them to enjoy themselves and help them improve and strive toward their goals."
"Of course, having some summer activities that are just plain fun is important too," he says.
