Not when you are scrubbing Skittles remnants from your washing machine after your kid leaves a handful of the sticky candy in his pants pocket.
Not when your four-year-old strolls out of Chuck E. Cheese’s restroom–naked– requesting help wiping his butt.
Not when you are forced up at 2 a.m. to break up a fight over a night light.
Ah, the joys of parenting.
And by joys I mean daily doses of reality that leave you wondering whether procreating was such a good idea.
Of course it was… right?
Not so much, according to a recent survey of nearly 1,000 working moms from Texas. According to the poll, having children doesn’t necessarily make people happy. In fact, the Texas mom respondents noted that they “enjoy parenting less than watching TV, shopping, or preparing food.”
Their opinion backs a study conducted two years ago which “linked parenthood to lower marital satisfaction on average” and a “higher prevalence of depression.” It also coincides with the results of the 2009 Journal of Happiness Studies publication which found that “the effect of parenting on satisfaction is small, often negative, and never statistically significant.”
Fortunately for kids not all parents are unhappy with their decision to spawn.
A new study conducted by psychologists from Stanford University, the University of British Columbia, and the University of California–Riverside claim that “parents are happier than non-parents.”
Their findings are summed up in the publication: “In Defense of Parenthood. Children Are Associated With More Joy Than Misery.” But, don’t let the title fool you. The paper is not filled with rainbows and unicorns in regards to parenting. Turns out, researchers found that “parenthood was associated with greater satisfaction and happiness only among fathers.” In other words, the study discovered that many moms were not happier than childless women. In fact, according to researchers, mothers under the age of 26 are “significantly less happy than their childless peers,” and single parents are even more miserable.
What about you? Are you happy being a parent? Or, do you think that happiness is overrated?