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Parents say their children are the most fun at this age
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A recent British survey found most parents find one age to be when children are the most fun ... and the least fun. - photo by Herb Scribner
Weve all heard of the terrible twos.

But what about the fun fives?

A new British survey found most parents feel their child is the most fun at age 5, according to Yahoo! News. In fact, the survey, which interviewed 2,000 moms and dads, said 40 percent of parents thought age 5 was the most fun because their children started to communicate properly and had a good sense of humor, Yahoo! News reported.

This is when a child becomes a fully contained person, Fran Walfish, a California child and family psychotherapist told Yahoo. Theyve developed self-soothing behaviors and frustration tolerance, so they arent as prone to tantrums.

Five-year-olds have also started to become more independent and require less attention, which comes as a welcome relief for some parents, Yahoo! News reported.

They get jokes, they tell jokes, they can give and take, and they respond reasonably well to discipline and direction, Walfish told Yahoo! News. Theyre also emotionally open they tell you what theyre thinking and feeling.

And Phil Chamberlain, the director of policy and communications for the Youth Sport Trust, which conducted the study, said 5-year-olds tend to be more active, which improves their behaviors and outlook on life, making them a joy to be around, according to the Daily Mail.

We know that active children learn better and faster, and have an improved sense of belonging the link between being active and good physical and emotional health is widely acknowledged, Chamberlain said. There is no question that regular activity produces healthy, happy, academically successful and socially adept young people, with confidence and high self-esteem.

But the fun doesnt last another five years for parents. The survey found most parents see the ages of 10 to 12 as the most difficult when rearing a child, according to Yahoo!

Parents said in the survey that they often struggle dealing with preteens because those youngsters are emotionally hard to reach, and sometimes can be disrespectful, defiant and challenging, Yahoo! reported.

Preteens and teens may also be distracted by their social lives, since they concern themselves with technological devices and social media more than ways of having fun, as seen in this chart.

Still, families can find some fun during those years, too, according to Ally Fogg, a journalist of The Guardian.

Treasure those moments because within months those little doting faces will be sneering down from a great height, wearily amused by your incompetence and decrepitude and treating your puny efforts to manage modernity, technology and mortality with the contempt and derision they so surely deserve, Fogg wrote.

In fact, Fogg wrote that its important to embrace your childs life, no matter what age, since parenting should always be an enjoyable experience.

The other perfect age is 13, when the flowering of adulthood brings a new kind of relationship, like the best friendship you ever had, Fogg wrote. It just so happens my kids are 7 and 13, and if you had asked me this question last year, Id have said 6 and 12; ask me next, Ill say 8 and 14. Every year of parenthood is a new challenge and a new terror and some whole new kind of fun. If Im not enjoying it, Im doing it wrong.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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