The Luxurious Life of the Childless

I was reading in my Newsweek this morning an article debunking the myth that children bring happiness. The authors stated multiple research statistics that support the opposite assertion - that childless couples are actually happier than the rest of us.

"Which parent is willing to admit that life's greatest gift has made his or her own life less enjoyable?"

I have been thinking about this article all day long. I have no doubt that childless couples (whether by choice or not) have more time together as a couple and have more expendable income which would lead to things like more travel, nicer cars and a nice house. I do not deny that my social life (or attempts at one) is complicated by the girls, but how does one measure happiness? I can only guess that it is on a perceived level of happiness as rated by that person feeling it. I keep trying to think of an analogy that fits. It is like being really happy with delicious canned pineapple - until I ate a fresh pineapple. It is like being super happy to eat Hershey's chocolate until I ate Venezuelan chocolate. I was happy without children but the breadth of what made me happy was more narrowly defined. Children has literally broadened my horizons. The girls bring happiness that exceeds anything ever experienced pre-children. How can one even begin to compare the two ways of life?


Just to illustrate my point - this evening Emma gave me some extra special Mom time. She is teething something fierce and was awakened around 9:00. I let her cry it out until she was finally standing up crying out so pathetically! She just clung to me when I picked her up. I gave her some teething tablets and she laid all warm and cuddly in my arms. Pretty soon she crawled off my lap and into the corner of the couch, head hanging over the arm. I just stared at her soft baby body. By the time I realized I should be snapping a photo she had crawled back to lie with her head in my lap. As she moved herself about getting adjusted and still half asleep she flashed me the sweetest, purest smile I can imagine. She was just a picture of contentment. Just so happy and loved.