I heart Dr. Drew.
Father figure to the dozens of teen moms exploited (I mean, profiled) on MTV’s “16 and Pregnant,” “Celebrity Rehab” guru, 30-year radio advice veteran, and now the host of his own show on HLN, Dr. Drew Pinsky is almost as busy as work-at-home mom.
Almost.
Actually, the dad to 18-year-old triplets is a champion of moms everywhere, as he recently stated on his primetime “news and views” show.
I’m not the least bit surprised that Dr. Drew is publicly praising moms given that his wife was left to handle much of the child-rearing of their three children. Susan Pinsky took it in stride as the good doc established himself as an outstanding physician and synergistic multimedia superstar.
The part that surprises me is Dr. Drew’s take on what makes kids happy. A few nights ago, the MTV-made star stated that nothing makes a child happier than spending uninterrupted quality time with a parent.
Personally, I couldn’t agree more. I know for a fact that no amount of chocolate, gummy bears or ice cream makes my 6-year-old smile wider than when I play Barbie with her… or Scrabble… or Littlest Pet Shop… or Magna Doodle… you get the picture. The kid drinks up the attention like a parched stretch in the Atacama Desert.
That said; is spending time with a parent the one thing that makes a child the happiest?
If you have a parent like this, this, this or this, then naturally the answer would be no.
Still, parental attention may not always be at the top of your kid’s happiness list, and if it’s not, he’s not alone.
A group of researchers in Britain recently queried 1000 kids ages 8 to 13 years old about what made them happy. The answers may surprise you:
Playing with friends (83.7%)
Your birthday (82.3%)
Spending time with family (79.6%)
Christmas (75.3%)
Your hobbies (74%)
Watching a film (67.2%)
Doing something nice for someone (64.5%)
Computer games (64%)
Eating your favorite meal (62.3%)
Playing with my toys/gadgets (61.6%)
Reading a book (61%)
Playing outside (58%)
Chocolate (54.9%)
Spending pocket money (38.4%)
School (36.5%)
Going for a walk (36.3%)
Playing on/texting on your phone (27.8%)
Social networking sites (20.9%)
Clearly, when a child hits eight, spending time with friends yields more happiness than hanging with mom or dad.
So, I guess that means I only have a couple years left of playing Barbie.
Sniff. Sniff.
Looking at the study’s results it’s funny how love of parental attention fluctuates with age, but adoration of chocolate remains the same despite a kid’s age.
What surprised you the most about the poll results?