14 mums on what stage of parenting they loved the most. And what age was the hardest.

There are a lot of moments that define us as parents. The good, the bad, and the uglier-than-we-ever-thought-possible bits. 

Understandably though, we're not always comfortable sharing the hard parts about parenting children – whether they're newborns, kiddos, teenagers or fully grown adults. 

That's exactly why we wanted to ask our community exactly what their best and worst parenting stages are. 

Watch: Be a good mum. Post continues after video. 

Without further ado, 14 women share their favourite (and least favourite) parenting stages. 

"I'm just a nutter without sleep."

"The worst stage for me (so far!) was definitely the baby stage. I'm just a nutter without sleep and I hated being stuck home breastfeeding and feeling like my body was not my own. I found the crying was also really hard and it made me very anxious – especially when they did it a lot and in public. I felt like I had high-level anxiety for the first year of each of their lives... The best stage (also so far!) has been every year since about age three – but also right now. My boys are currently five and 12 years old. 

"They have both had a year together at primary school and while they fight all the effing time, I have loved this precious year, knowing that Toby is about to hit the teenage stage and Leo won't have his big bro at school next year. I like hanging with them and hearing their thoughts on stuff and they crack me up. They're good to travel with now and appreciate a nice meal at the pub. I can go out with no dramas and have some me time knowing they're totally fine. I also know where they are every night and that gives me great comfort – something I already worry about looking ahead to teenage party years!" - Laura.

"It honestly was the best and worst day of my life."

"The hardest parenting stage was when one of my identical twin sons was born sleeping. My best parenting stage was when his brother survived. It honestly was the best and worst day of my life." - Robin.

"Sending my then two-month-old son off to have open heart surgery."

"The hardest stage I've ever dealt with was sending my then two-month-old son off to have open heart surgery... No amount of preparation can make you ready for that. Fortunately, he's now eight years old and absolutely thriving. It was the best thing for him." - Lana. 

"When you're their whole world."

"The best stage is when you're their whole world. Some days the love and need they have for you is the best thing ever and the next day, it's all-consuming." - Tayla. 

"It made my heart happy."

"I'm a stepmother and have been for almost seven years now – since my stepson was a toddler. The hardest part is loving a child when you're not sure if they will ever love you back. And the best stage as a mother was when I overheard him say to a mate that he was talking to his dad and step mum. I'd never heard of him refer to me that way and it made my heart happy." - Erin.

"24 years later, I can still feel it."

"The first time my firstborn looked into my eyes and smiled, my heart grew even bigger and I realised, 'Oh you love me too!' 24 years later, I can still feel it. The hardest stage of parenting was when I separated from their father and had to say, 'I'm sorry. I can't fix everything'." - Kim.

"The self-reflection."

"The hardest stage I've found out about parenting is the self-reflection I've done by looking back on my own childhood. I have a new lens of being a parent and working through that to break the cycle so they don't have to go through [what I did]. The best stage though is watching how they feel love and joy with their whole being." - Melanie. 

"During my daughter's first heartbreak."

"The stage that hurt the most was during my daughter's first heartbreak. I attempted to comfort her and then she lashed out with the words, 'Stop trying to be my friend'. The best stage were the years we spent together at pony club." - Carol. 

"When they grow up and need me less."

"The hardest stage is when they grow up and need me less. But the best stage is that when they do grow up, they can actually acknowledge and appreciate what we did for them." - Keiva. 

"It's so much cooking and preparing."

"The worst for me so far has been the 'solids' stage, which means transitioning from only milk feeds to offering purees and lots of other soft food. This tends to start from about five months old. It's so much cooking and preparing and feeding and cleaning and both of my kids didn't eat much in the early stages so it was so disheartening putting in all of that work only to clean it all up off the floor. You're also petrified of choking and stressing about trying to get calories in the day in an unfounded, desperate attempt to push them to sleep through the night." - Hayley.

Listen to This Glorious Mess, hosted by Leigh Campbell and Tegan Natoli. Post continues after audio. 

"Any time that I lose my temper."

"I love the most when my little one asks me for 'one more' cuddle. The most difficult stage is any time that I lose my temper when I didn't mean to." - Emily. 

"After 20 years of mothering, it sure feels good!"

"My best parenting stage was when I realised that my young adult kids realised that I'm human. I have sadness, happiness, tough days at work, emotional losses, anxious days, tired days, and overwhelming days. I'm HUMAN. They recognise what my favourite things are and try to bring me them or do them for me. It's really getting satisfying and rewarding knowing that I've grown the most amazing, contributing and responsible people... After 20 years of mothering, it sure feels good!" - Lynda.

"You can't put them down for even a minute."

"The best is when they can tell you what they want – with words. Trying to figure out whether they're hungry, tired, or in pain is so bloody stressful. They also become a little mate when they grow up a bit and you can hang out. I love my kid at seven years old. She's so freaking funny and such a character. The worst stage was definitely the little baby stage where you can't put them down for even a minute and you have to do everything with one arm and never get a wink of sleep" - Claire.

"Newborns and night feedings."

"I have a four-year-old and a six-year-old. Honestly, it just gets better and better as they get older. The cutest stage I've experienced so far is probably around the 24 to 36-month-old range, when they start speaking and really becoming themselves. The most difficult stage for me was the almost-walking, bottle-fed, night-feed, nappy-change stage. They rely on you for EVERYTHING and it's just a lot. 

"But depending on your kids, I think what makes parenting the hardest is being so tired and sleep-deprived all the time. If I had a little more sleep, I'd have more energy and wouldn't struggle as much some days. And from when my eldest was born in 2016, until my second was two years old in 2020, I didn't sleep through the night for four years... Not an exaggeration. Newborns and night feedings... I never want to go back there." - Madeline.

Feature Image: Getty/Mamamia.

If this has raised any issues for you or if you would like to speak with someone, please contact the Sands Australia 24-hour support line on 1300 072 637. You can download Never Forgotten: Stories of love, loss and healing after miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal death for free here.