Children, A Mistake?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Germany recently beat out Japan for the title of lowest birthrate. Germany's prestigious Max Plank Institute wanted to know more. WaPo reports...

Life has its ups and downs, but parenthood is supposed to be among the most joyous. At least that's what the movies and Target ads tell us.

In reality, it turns out that having a child can have a pretty strong negative impact on a person's happiness, according to a new study published in the journal Demography. In fact, on average, the effect of a new baby on a person's life in the first year is devastatingly bad — worse than divorce, worse than unemployment and worse even than the death of a partner.

Researchers Rachel Margolis and Mikko Myrskylä followed 2,016 Germans who were childless at the time the study began until at least two years after the birth of their first child. Respondents were asked to rate their happiness from 0 (completely dissatisfied) to 10 (completely satisfied) in response to the question, "How satisfied are you with your life, all things considered?"

Maybe people who say, "You'll feel different when you have your own", are full of shit. Granted, there are people who love being with and around children. Maybe we should leave reproduction to them, rather than pushing the idea that's reproducing is expected. Is, "When will you give me a grandchild", simply revenge?