Posted on 03/08/2011 10:54:33 AM PST by dawn53
All parents know that having kids is a blessing — except when it's a nightmare of screaming fits, diapers, runny noses, wars over bedtimes and homework and clothes. To say nothing of bills too numerous to list. Some economists have argued that having kids is an economically silly investment; after all, it's cheaper to hire end-of-life care than to raise a child. Now comes new research showing that having kids is not only financially foolish but that kids literally make parents delusional.
Researchers have known for some time that parents with minors who live at home report feeling calm significantly less often than than people who don't live with young children. Parents are also angrier and more depressed than nonparents — and each additional child makes them even angrier. Couples who choose not to have kids also have better, more satisfying marriages than couples who have kids. (More on Time.com: 5 Pregnancy Taboos Explained (or Debunked))
To be sure, all such evidence will never outweigh the desire to procreate, which is one of the most powerfully encoded urges built into our DNA. But a new paper shows that parents fool themselves into believing that having kids is more rewarding than it actually is. It turns out parents are in the grip of a giant illusion.
(Excerpt) Read more at healthland.time.com ...
Well now, don’t be too surprised. After all, it was TIME who also said babies are born racist...
Maybe Ted Turner is secretly in charge there?
They’ll cost you a fortune, they’ll drive you insane, they’ll eat up all your time, and half the time you’ll want to throttle them or sell them to gypsies.
And you wouldn’t trade every horrible sleepless moment of it for ANYTHING in this world. I know I wouldn’t.
}:-)4
(proud daddy of a five-year-old)
It’s Time,what else does one need to know?
John Cloud is a gay libertarian writer, which might just be coloring his judgment a bit in regards to child-rearing.
Didn’t bother to click on the link, but let me guess; the article goes on to state (cloaked as fact) that having children puts undue and unnecessary pressure on the environment and that our planet is unsustainable because of children. Therefore having children should be avoided.
Is that about right?
“But a new paper shows that parents fool themselves into believing that having kids is more rewarding than it actually is.”
Well, that’s because scientists are trying to measure “MATERIAL REWARDS”.
Every(well most) parent knows(learns) that children are a big responsibility and many times require a big (and long term) sacrifice.
MATERIAL GAIN is not why we have children. The ‘reward’ is something that cannot be measured, cannot be weighed, only felt.
Not one word written about the love a parent has for their child. Very sad.
Virginia Ironside says that a “good” mother would smother her disabled child.
ROFL!!!!!!
I concur.
(proud mom of almost 13yo and daddy feels same way)
I knew it. I just knew the writer was a homosexual.
Obviously the writer is an angry frustrated liberal who hates himself and everyone else and would rather have us all just jump in a hole in the ground and pull the sand in over us.
.... trying to justify not having any children because he's a homosexual.
I bet the author was a joy to be around growing up (as well as now). Somebody has real mommy/daddy issues. Poor guy.
Not a parent yet. Getting married in June.
This seems to go hand in hand with Obama’s “I don’t want her punished with a baby!”
Anything In life requires hard work. ANYTHING. Marriage, Job, Kids, Competitive sports... etc. More and more our country is getting away from realizing this. We always look for the easy way out.
PS, I despise TIME and I just have to hold my tongue everytime I go to my Fiancee’s house and see her parents have it on the table. Ughh... I have already made it clear that it won’t be allowed in our house. haha.
This author writes from a "what's in it for me?" point of view, so typical of today's "instant gratification" lifestyle. If you're looking for a reward that can be attained quickly, a child may not be for you.
Raising children, in its different forms, is something that's been done for thousands of years. Had child-raising not been in vogue, this bonehead would've never been around to write such a shallow opinion.
Nothing has brought more joy into my life than my children. There is no sacrifice I would not make for them. Most parents would agree. The author obviously does not have any children.
Wow, well I missed that. Thanks for pointing it out.
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