Does it get easier?

[Jejune]

Spin off of Danielle's thread - does it get easier to get couple time as your kids get older? All of my kids are still pretty young, so they're still a lot of hands on work. I find myself wondering, though, if this ever gets easier. So far it hasn't, really, but we kept on having kids. LOL So I've never been without a toddler yet, and have no real way to gauge whether it truly does get easier. Right now, finding time is hard.

Does it get easier with age, or does circumstance matter more? We don't have a lot of family near by, and that's always made it challenging.

[Shana]

Kristen:squeeze

Yes, it absolutely does get easier. In fact, one of these days, truly -- your kids will actually not want to be around you 24/7. Hard to believe (and, even harder to experience:sigh) but it is true.

Hang in there :)

[Jo]

I wish I could feel that it will get easier. But with Rai's issues, certain things are never going to change no matter how old she gets.

[Kristen]

I'm sure hoping so! It definitely is easier now that I have a toddler instead of a nursing baby. As the kids get older, it'll be easier to farm them out to their various friends' houses overnight too, and I also won't feel so bad asking someone to watch them. Right now, Sonia and Zoe are both still so high maintenance, it's hard to work up the nerve to ask someone to keep them, esp. overnight.

[Danielle]

I agree with Kristen. It gets easier to ask someone to watch them or feel comfortable leaving them with a sitter as soon as they are all fairly independent. Now that Alex is almost 17, it's great when he's around because he can watch the younger ones when we go shopping and things. He doesn't love to watch them but, well, sometimes you have to be the big brother LOL.

[Ac_M]

yes indeed it does!

[Jbird]

As someone with an 11-year-old and a 1-year-old, I'd guess that it definitely does. We had lots of couple time after winning full custody of Taryn but before Delaney was born. They can take care of themselves more, spend the night with friends, etc. The only thing is - the older they get, the more activities and things they have that you have to attend. At least that's been my experience. We certainly sacrifice some alone time to cheerleading, piano lessons, basketball games, track meets, girl scouts, etc.

[gr8mommy]

I think it is a mixed bag. As they get older the kids don't need as much hands-on care, but they still require a lot of emotional, physical, and psychological attention.

Seems to me that getting out may get easier, but getting quiet time at home is harder---they stay up later, etc.

[Danielle]

That's very true Denise. Takara doesn't go to bed until 8:30-9 and I go to bed by 10 so I get very little evening time now, something I used to really enjoy!

[Shana]

Takara doesn't go to bed until 8:30-9 and I go to bed by 10 so I get very little evening time now, something I used to really enjoy!Exactly right. I find myself wanting to put Kara in bed around 8:30 and she's like, "Mooooom! I go to bed at 9:30".

:sigh

[Kristen]

I was thinking about that later bedtime thing too. Joshua stays up until 8:30 now(I can put the younger three in bed at 7:30 or 8:00), but I'm sure he'll want to be up later as time goes on.

Some friends at church who have 8 children used to still have their kids head to their rooms at 8:30 or 9:00, even up through high school. They didn't necessarily go to bed, but they did do stuff in their rooms. I think it helped keep their mom sane.

I do something similiar with Lisey and Sonia...I put them in bed at 7:30, but I let them read books in their beds for a while. That way they're out of my hair and Sonia and Zoe(who are like oil and water these days) aren't able to fight. If Zoe's not tired when I put her to bed, she plays in her bed and reads books and such until she's tired. It's really cute...she sits in there playing and you can hear her talking to herself. :giggle

Goodness, I really went off on a tangent there! LOL