I'm enjoying being a mom to 5 tweens and teens

August 8, 2026 - 20:38

When I told friends I was having a fifth child, the comments started almost immediately. "Just wait until they are all teenagers," they said, with a knowing shake of the head. I braced myself for slammed doors, moody silences, and endless eye-rolling. But now that I am in the thick of it, with five kids ranging from ten to seventeen, I have to say something that surprises even me: I am actually loving this stage.

Yes, there are hard moments. The scheduling is a nightmare, with sports, jobs, and social lives pulling everyone in different directions. The car is a constant mess of forgotten water bottles and smelly sneakers. And the conversations about grades and curfews can get tense. But what no one warned me about was the sheer fun of it all.

My kids are becoming real people. They have their own opinions, their own music, and their own sharp senses of humor. We can sit at the dinner table and debate politics, laugh at a terrible movie, or plan a weekend hike. They are independent enough to grab a snack without me, but they still come to my room at night to talk about their day. I get to watch them navigate friendships and first crushes, and I get to be their safe place to land when things go wrong.

The constant neediness of the baby years is gone, and in its place is a genuine companionship. I am not just a mom anymore; I am becoming their friend, their coach, and their biggest fan. It is exhausting, but it is also the most rewarding chapter so far. I would take a late-night heart-to-heart with a teenager over a diaper blowout any day.