Article: Response to NY Mag 'Why Parents Hate Parenting'

cmw&tdm

 I thought this was interesting.  

https://babble.com/mom/health-and-relationships/parents-are-happy/

 

PhillySue

I thought that this follow up article was great. I really liked the end

"The truth is that we get too good at life, and we need to be humbled again. We may lose a big chunk of our adult lives to the repetitive maintenance of children; we may lose time to think novel thoughts and enjoy those of others; we may drink less wine and smell more poop, and we surely spend less time in a serene state of equipoise, but there is a payoff in raw human experience that is not measured in the studies. A life with incrementally rising average happiness can get stale, predictable. Novelty, not of scenery but of experience, is harder to come by than average happiness, and consequently has more scarcity value. In the trials of parenthood, we are resubmitted to the work-a-day, stomach-clenching highs and lows of childhood, to the shriek-worthy revelation that is a paper airplane?s first launch or the betrayal of a parent?s departure. We are damned lucky to have all this, even if, in moments, it almost kills us."

RoxBride

I agree with the article quite a bit.  Kinda didn't get the part about him talking to a friend who wanted kids about not having kids, but I don't think I followed what he meant.

But in the end, absolutely, I think parenting is worth it, happiness level aside.

schmoodle

RoxBride:

I agree with the article quite a bit.  Kinda didn't get the part about him talking to a friend who wanted kids about not having kids, but I don't think I followed what he meant.

I think that was just an unfortunate perspective from someone never having dealt with IF thinking it would potentially be helpful to tell an infertile person that having kids isn't necessarily that awesome. Glad he didn't say it, for whatever reason. Otherwise, good article.