Parenthood

So, Newsweek weighs in on the "joys" of parenthood. A valid journalistic venture? An attack by someone tired of constant criticism?

http://www.newsweek.com/id/143792/

It is my opinion that this article misses the point entirely, and draws a false conclusion. From my own personal experience, I have found parenthood to be a source of joys and sorrows so deep, so profound, so exquisite that they cannot be compared to any other joy or sorrow I have ever experienced, even within my marriage. In essence, I believe that children open up to us a whole new world of possibilities: for growth, for contentment, for true happiness. Along with these possibilities come others: to despair, feel intense shame, and significant negative stress.

This article seems to make the case that having children doesn't make you happy, statistically, at least. In my opinion, the point of becoming a parent should never be for one's own happiness. There are many reasons to become a parent, including biological, social, and even economic imperatives, but having children with the selfish motive of finding happiness for yourself...well, I just find that completely unreasonable. Parenthood merely opens up to us a deeper, richer body of experiences that we must make the most of.

This article is no indictment of parenthood. It is rather a scathing commentary on how well we are raising our children in America, statistically speaking. Why weren't any children polled as part of this study? Isn't their happiness just as important? If people weren't happy, why weren't they asked if it was worth it?

Can you be miserable as a parent? Sure! Can you be happier than ever before as a parent? Most definitely. It all depends on what you make of it. I happen to believe that this is universally true.

For those that have chosen not to have children, fine. That's your prerogative. I can't tell you how to live your life, but I can tell you that I am a (not always, but most of the time) happy parent, and that I feel you are missing out on something truly special. But if you don't want to perpetuate your genes, shoot, I guess that's kind of the end of that, if you know what I mean.