Am I Happier Now That I Have Children?

There's a new report out today that states that married couples who have children, are not as happy as married couples who do not.

For those of us who have listened to the continual whining of a 3 year old for hours on end might just agree, but with those days come the hours of starring into our newborn's eyes with complete and total admiration.

I think I go in phases. You can't possibly know the heartache and the complete and udder joy of being a parent, until you have been one. My daughter (she'll be 9 in Aug) has been shall we say, less than agreeable for the past few years, and we actually started going to counseling to seek help in dealing with her. What I discovered there is that maybe, just maybe it wasn't all her fault. We love our children so much that we want them to have it all. We want them to have it better than we did, and we never want them to hurt. In protecting, and providing we create a monster. One that believes the world is their oyster, and that your main function is to provide endlessly. I discovered in therapy that it is actually okay to discipline your child. I thought over the years that if I made her friend go home, or took away her dessert I was being mean. Now I realize it's exactly what I should have been doing. Children need to learn the hard lessons we all learned. They need to learn respect for their parents and others. Our therepist recommended the book "Parenting with Love and Logic". At first I thought it was a bit harsh, but by that point I was willing to try just about anything. Well, it works. The secret-you need to find their currency. If you don't have that, forget it, it's a waste of time. Now, she's back to being the sweet person I always knew she was. So my point, is that going thru all the trials and tribulations I think I would have been happier without children, but now that I have the tools to deal with the issues, I think I'm happier with them. Sure I would like to go to the Kimball Art Museum to see the Impressionists Exhibition with out the kids, but I also wouldn't give up hearing "I love you Mommy" for any exhibition, house, car or freedom in the world.