This Is The Age That Children Are Most Lovable, Says Study

A recent article in The Daily Mail had five writers share their views on what age children are at their most lovable. The article was inspired by a survey given to 2,000 families by the U.K. food company Soreen, which asked parents to rate how much fun they have or had with their children through different ages.

As far as fun goes, the magic number turned out to be 5 years old, but The Daily Mail wanted to know the age when a child is most lovable and adorable. The writers all various answers, from newborn to age three, and early teens to grown adults.

But would Americans differ in their answers? I put the question out on various social media and got a ton of answers. Some of the responders were parents, and some just innocent bystanders to the growing pains of both children and parents.

When asked the question, "At which age is a child most lovable?" one man's response was, "While they're still in the womb! Silence is golden. I just got off an airplane. That may cause a bias ..."

There was no clear winner age-wise, as one very wise friend said, "For clarification, I think they're lovable at every stage. It's hard to stand face-to-face with a 15-year-old that blames you for everything, but then that same 15-year-old happily edits your video and surprises you at dinner with pearls of wisdom."

This is what other people had to say:

1. Newborn to 12 months:

"My favorite age is 6 to 9 months for babies," said one woman. Another said, "My parents stopped liking me once I started talking. Some people really dig the helplessness of infants."

Most lovable and/or adorable proved very difficult to pin down for some: "I think they're adorable at birth to 6 years, then they skip to 16 and are still adorable at 18 when they're learning their way through college and their first jobs. Most adorable? 2 was fun and full of questions — that's adorable. But I still love the baby stage. Say 9 months or so."

2. 1-year-old to terrible twos: 

"Depends on the kid but they're very cute at 18 months."

"1 year is cute to the max."

"2 1/2 to 3 is the sweet spot!"

"I find the age (around 1) when your baby starts walking to be the stage of life I love the most. Once your baby is on two feet, the world is so different for them. You can just see the curiosity in their eyes. They can reach new heights (literally!), and are always trying to push the limits of their bodies and the world around them. I love seeing a little one trying out her legs and discovering the joy of movement."

This wise mom summed it up perfectly: "I think 2 is amazing because they're just learning to talk and they say the most amazing things. They walk the walk, and talk the talk."

3. Three years old (AKA the tantrum threes):

"3 to 6! Assholes before and after."

"Three. Adorableness personified."

"Three is pretty darn cute."

"I love three year olds! They're old enough to be able to talk, play, and it's so easy to read their faces. It's also the age they're learning what being a friend is. I love to watch and hear bargaining, 'I'll be your friend if ...'"

My friend who fosters a lot of children said, "They're fun at all ages, but since I foster and see lots of kids, my favorite is 2 to 4. They're so curious and their personalities are really developing."

Lastly, mommy blogger, Missguided Mama, wrote, "I think 3 years old is the most lovable. OK, maybe not most lovable — every stage of child development (sans teenage years) is lovable. Both of my kids said the most adorable things when they were 3 years old. They still liked to cuddle. They were just so stinkin' kissable. As they creep through kid years, they lose their past adorable characteristics. 3 years is the age before all innocence is destroyed in elementary school."

4. Four years old (AKA the fricken fours):

"4 to 6. All three year olds are assh*les. I've had four of them, trust me."

"Before they get to the point when they realize that people don't necessarily know what's going on inside their own head ... usually around 4 to 5 ego swoops in."

"4 because they're old enough to have a clear personality and curiosity, but young enough so they don't yet realize how wrong things are around them!"

"Adorable questions and curiosity and funny statements start kicking in around 4, give or take."

5. Five years old:

"4 or 5, when they still believe in Santa and all that. And then again when they're around 10 and in full kid mode — riding bikes, roller skating, becoming curious about cultural references. The Simpsons was great for that. I had to explain A Streetcar Named Desire ... STELLA!"

"Five. After that they're on their own!"

6. All ages:

"Different ages are delightful, too."

"Every age of every child has something to offer."

"This age, 24 and 22. Of course, every year past infancy was my favorite."

"Third grade." 

"I knew a woman who, years ago, admitted she refused to converse with her children until they could actually converse intelligently. How did they learn? She looked at me with obvious dismay and said, 'I sent them to school!' Sigh."

It turns out that every age does have something to say for itself, no matter how aggravating it might be. 

Your children will grow up, this we know for sure. But hopefully, they'll always remain lovable, adorable, and fun to be around in their parents eyes, though others may not agree.

One responder said, "I always say an airline that doesn't allow babies or teens would make billions ..."