Would This Be Easier If We Were Younger?

I recently read a post about how younger parents deal with issues compared to the approach of older parents.  We are in the older parenting group.  Having started parenting in our 20's and are now raising teenagers again...do I think there is a difference?  You'd better believe it.

Patience.  I never thought I'd say I have more of this expendable commodity and after my previous post it may seen contradictory but I just don't get as impatient with Lucas and Eli as I was with the girls when they were the same age.  (Ok, Lucas is sitting beside me chomping in my ear so the patience may be spotty).  I do know that the girls say, "Mom!  You would never have let us do that, this or the other."  It's true.  Don't sweat the small stuff.

House keeping.  Again don't sweat the small stuff.  My house is no where near as clean and neat as it was when the girls were younger.  Just not the top priority.

What is allowed and not allowed.  As politically incorrect as this is I think this has to do more with raising boys rather than girls.  It is different.

Energy level.  This is a tough one.  Some days I'd say I have more than when the girls were little, other days I'd say I let things slide in order to keep up with the boys.  Either way, I hit the bed at night and sleep...like a worn out mom.  Think that happens at any age.

Do we handle issues differently.  Most definitely.  I'm so glad that we had some parenting under our belts before handling the issues we deal with now.  Good, bad and normal I don't think that we'd have done as well with the tough stuff in our 20's.  Do I think that only older parents make good adoptive parents?  No.  Absolutely not.  I just speak for me.

It's kind of like saying if one of your difficult babies was born first they'd have been an only child.  (Our girls have heard us say this and know whom we are speaking of).  For us it has been a better fit to adopt later in life.  I'd say that after 20+ years of talking about adopting that the right time for us was now.  Older, slightly slower and totally enjoying the experience.