So, I'm young (21) and no kids but I work around them all the time. I am in contact with some children, from K-7th grade, almost every day. Generally, they drive my nuts. Granted, I only see the super-hyper-excited-happybeyondcontrol side of them. Sometimes its also the out of control, respect no authority side as well though...

I'm just wondering as I age will I see them differently, or when I have my own, or will they still drive my nuts just my own wont?

no, they'll always drive you nuts, but when they're yours its just different, nothing like it.................if my first wasn't born with a heart defect causing me to wonder about the next i'd already have another

As an owner/operator of a 4 year old, I can speak on this issue.

Yes - kids can be annoying. Then again, so can your spouse.

It's a sliding balance scale. Your kids bring with them additional responsibilities and inconveniences. On the other side of the scale, they bring with them pride, attachment, wide-eyed enthusiasm, and all sorts of other things that are just too mushy for me to put into words.

You can raise a little monster if you would like. I recommend not doing that. They seem to require a bit more work than if you put the time in to raise them correctly.

I've got mine and he's working out pretty good.

Oh yeah, to answer your other question...other people's kids will always appear to be more annoying than your own.

I have been a lifeguard every summer since '99 and dealt with little kids all the time. The kids can be annoying, but most of the time its the parents who piss me off. I have yelled at kids for breaking rules and they usually listen to me, on the other hand I've had their parents come up to me complaining "Little Jimmy wasn't hurting anyone" to which I tell them "Well what little Jimmy was about to do usually leads to a submerged spinal injury". Some parents are even worse, numerous times I've seen 3 year old and younger kids starting to drown while their parents are a stones throw away talking to one of their friends, when I go to help the kid their Mom starts bitching at me saying "My child was fine, why did you make a scene" then I tell them "Your child was struggling in the water and struggling to breathe". Then there was one kid who was in the middle of the pond, nearly passed out and had a severe problem breathing, when his mom visited him in the hospital she said "Oh my boy was just tired". Kids are fine, its just the parents who need a kick in the nuts.

Yes.

I have four, one celebrated his 11th today.

It is all in how you handle them critters.

Ride 'em hard. HARD. Speak adult English to them from the time they open their eyes. Teach 'em to read using phonics. Tell them stories that mean something - stories of integrity & sacrifice, stories of right & wrong. Make 'em say "sir" & "ma'am." Punish lies harshly, so they know what they are. Be sure they know you love them, because in their eyes you model God, and they will spend their whole lives trying to reconcile whatever differences they see between you & Him. Have an open hand, because God is generous, but tell them that the world will give them nothing. Make sure they know that love is the willingness to place the welfare of the beloved above one's own welfare. Hold them every chance you get. Breathe their breath and let them breathe yours. Be a refuge. Build a treehouse, but make sure that you are their favorite hideout. Love your wife and let your kids see it. Praise God, and let them see you do it. Remember that whether the old Master called you into service or not, He expects you to raise up His servants in the next generation. Remember that however fast the time has flown from your high school prom to today, the time with your children will fly faster. Make it count. Make every minute of it count.

edited for spelling

Originally Posted By FLAL1A: Ride 'em hard. HARD. Speak adult English to them from the time they open their eyes. Teach 'em to read using phonics. Tell them stories that mean something - stories of integrity & sacrifice, stories of right & wrong. Make 'em say "sir" & "ma'am." Punish lies harshly, so they know what they are. Be sure they know you love them, because in their eyes you model God, and they will spend their whole lives trying to reconcile whatever differences they see between you & Him. Have an open hand, because God is generous, but tell them that the world will give them nothing. Make sure they know that love is the willingness to place the welfare of the beloved above one's own welfare. Hold them every chance you get. Breathe their breath and let them breathe yours. Be a refuge. Build a treehouse, but make sure that you are their favorite hideout. Love your wife and let your kids see it. Praise God, and let them see you do it. Remember that whether the old Master called you into service or not, He expects you to raise up His servants in the next generation. Remember that however fast the time has flown from your high school prom to today, the time with your children will fly faster. Make it count. Make every minute of it count. edited for spelling

Well spoken, sir!

If your travels bring you to eastern PA, let me know, and I'll take you for a real cheesesteak.

I have a 16 year old girl.

I'm getting a VASECTOMY for my birthday.

What conclusion will you draw from that?

LOL, nope! You won't find them any less annoying if you have your own.

What you are seeing is a direct reflection of the partents and how they bring their kids up. Combine that with some pear paressure and you have the mix.

What you learn is to tolerate the annoyance.

Tj

BTW, nice post FLA and hope you are right for that is what I am doing. So far, so good.

Originally Posted By FLAL1A: Ride 'em hard. HARD. Speak adult English to them from the time they open their eyes. Teach 'em to read using phonics. Tell them stories that mean something - stories of integrity & sacrifice, stories of right & wrong. Make 'em say "sir" & "ma'am." Punish lies harshly, so they know what they are. Be sure they know you love them, because in their eyes you model God, and they will spend their whole lives trying to reconcile whatever differences they see between you & Him. Have an open hand, because God is generous, but tell them that the world will give them nothing. Make sure they know that love is the willingness to place the welfare of the beloved above one's own welfare. Hold them every chance you get. Breathe their breath and let them breathe yours. Be a refuge. Build a treehouse, but make sure that you are their favorite hideout. Love your wife and let your kids see it. Praise God, and let them see you do it. Remember that whether the old Master called you into service or not, He expects you to raise up His servants in the next generation. Remember that however fast the time has flown from your high school prom to today, the time with your children will fly faster. Make it count. Make every minute of it count. ^ What he said. I help coach my son's ball team, and the variance between 9 and 10 year olds is amazing. Most of the boys are just that - boys who need a direction now and then. There are two or three 'MTV kids' that can't pay attention to the game, play poorly, grabass constantly, and are not worth the trouble. They are daycare kids with working single moms who have no male influence in their lives other than baseball. Annoying doesn't begin to explain it. On the other hand, watching one of the other boys FINALLY get hold of a fastball and bounce it off the outfield fence is something that all the gold in Africa cannot buy. Seeing Lil Ops pick up a CAR, load it, drop to one knee and rign the hell out of the 100yds gong makes the ass & trash all disappear. Children will make you into a better man. Ops edited for spelling

Getting ready to go back to work right now. I work at a planetarium btw, so they're almost always hyped up because they're on a field trip; and sometimes unruley when its like 100 inner city kids and 3 chaperones. I do love my job though.

DINK.

Yes. I find them annoying. That is one of the reasons I don't have any.

Originally Posted By Johnny_Reno: As an owner/operator of a 4 year old, I can speak on this issue. I've got mine and he's working out pretty good.

JR, which model/make do you have? Might wanna check to see if it's been recalled for manufacturer defects. You might get some upgrades.

Other people's kids ARE more annoying. Even my nephews are becoming annoying. It's different when you make your own. Kind of like looking at other people's AR's... no matter how swet they are you still like yours better, because it's yours.

Originally Posted By FLAL1A: Ride 'em hard. HARD. Speak adult English to them from the time they open their eyes. Teach 'em to read using phonics. Tell them stories that mean something - stories of integrity & sacrifice, stories of right & wrong. Make 'em say "sir" & "ma'am." Punish lies harshly, so they know what they are. Be sure they know you love them, because in their eyes you model God, and they will spend their whole lives trying to reconcile whatever differences they see between you & Him. Have an open hand, because God is generous, but tell them that the world will give them nothing. Make sure they know that love is the willingness to place the welfare of the beloved above one's own welfare. Hold them every chance you get. Breathe their breath and let them breathe yours. Be a refuge. Build a treehouse, but make sure that you are their favorite hideout. Love your wife and let your kids see it. Praise God, and let them see you do it. Remember that whether the old Master called you into service or not, He expects you to raise up His servants in the next generation. Remember that however fast the time has flown from your high school prom to today, the time with your children will fly faster. Make it count. Make every minute of it count. edited for spelling

It's astonishing how time compresses after the kids come along.

Anyhow, in general I barely tolerate other people's kids although kids seem to like me. I am turning into the "crazy uncle" everyone had growing up. This allows me a lot of latitude in speaking to family/friend's kids and "modifying" their behavior. My nephew has ADD/HDD (supposedly) but around me he is a gem because I actually pay attention to him but don't tolerate his bullshit. I just think most problem kids are lacking good parental attention and guidance/discipline.

My theory has always been (with my 3 kids) that I let them have some freedom and even tolerate the occasional outburst or misbehavior at home, but they better act like friggin angels in public, at school and at other people's homes. My wife and I give our kids ENORMOUS amounts of attention, sometimes at the expense of our own time together, but it pays off big dividends in having three incredible kids.

Other people's kids are annoying. Mine are not. Even if they tried to be annoying, it would just end up being adorable.

Once... NO MAS!

No way, not for all the tea in china. I had one at 19 (read - frikin stupid) this was after my wife at the time "went to move in with her mom for a while" just as I was getting out of the Army.

Of course that marriage failed and it's 16 years later. Child support payments are almost over and I would never even consider having another nd my current wife has the same feelings thankfully.

FLAL1A-spot on, brother!

No kids are more embarassing than my own, if they act up in public. Make sure you and your spouse are on the same sheet of music as how to raise the kids-my wife and I aren't, and it creates a lot of trouble. But, as I'm right and she's not, I am not about to stop doing what I do to promote honesty, respect, and ruggedness in my sons, nor change the way I discipline-immediately, with follow through, and in private (no need to humiliate).

FLA is right on the money.

It'll be different when they are your own; there will always be times when they will drive you crazy. You wont remember being single, and you'll wonder what you did in all your free time before family activites started eatting up your time.

That's how old farts like me see youngsters like you. It'a all relative.

I do find children annoying, but then again I work with children all day long. Allll daay loooong. But, my daughter, on the other hand is the least annoying child I know. She doesn't whine or complain. She gets along well with other children and is overall a great kid. Is it because she is my daughter that I don't find her annoying? I don't know the answer to that one. I do know that my wife and I spend a lot of time with her and try to bring her up right.

A couple of people here have hit it right on the head.
Basically many of today's kid's are overinduldged and Under-accountable.
They have their rewards, but it takes a lot of work on your part to bring them up right.
Most people today just do not put in the effort.

No matter how hard you work, you will seldom (I didn't say never!) see the payback even until they are young adults. Most times it takes a while, which probably explains why most people don't do it.

No. They are not. They are fun to be around. I love my two daughters.

Not your own kids, but then, I get to go to work sometimes.

Other peoples kids...Hell yes, they are a royal PITA.

Being around my kids is by far the best thing in life, so no, they are not annoying......yet. Ask me in 13 years.

Children are like chimpanzees on acid.
But when they are asleep, they are really cute.