Of course, I love my children. I write down the adorable things they say. I upload pictures religiously onto Snapfish, pausing to reminisce about the cutest shots. My toddler is hilarious, and not just for a toddler, but for a person. And my preschooler is the most devoted big sister around.

But to be honest, for all the time I spend with my children, I enjoy only about a quarter of it — and even that estimate may be high…

The problem, for me, is specifically the toddler stage. I know a lot of people complain about the terrible twos, but ages 2 and 3 and (most of) 4 are especially hard on me. I don’t have the patience. The noise and bickering — which I never knew as an only child — put me constantly on edge.