My son is currently 5 and we are playing video games together, riding bikes, building legos, learning about animal science, making art, and enjoying each other’s jokes and personalities. I asked the same question to parents over and over and over and I never received a real answer but I can say hands down RIGHT NOW is the best time. I’m enjoying my kid so much that the bad days don’t even matter that much. I will say that Kindergarten had us shell shocked us. Get prepped on sight words ahead of time. But otherwise… 5 years old… This is what you’re waiting for. It is soooooo fun.
I was a single mom during the pandemic so I’m also extremely biased, but I definitely remember being alone with a baby for months and asking “when does this become enjoyable?” Shoot me if that’s wrong, but I’d rather be honest.
If you’re interested in child development or even just at some point struggling with communication I cannot recommend this book enough
“How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen”