So my title is a bit of an exaggeration but I ran across an article entitled "Does having children make you happy" in Newsweek and had to post some thoughts about it.
"In Daniel Gilbert's 2006 book "Stumbling on Happiness," the Harvard professor of psychology looks at several studies and concludes that marital satisfaction decreases dramatically after the birth of the first child—and increases only when the last child has left home. He also ascertains that parents are happier grocery shopping and even sleeping than spending time with their kids."
The first thing worth mentioning here is that there might actually be some truth in this. Again, I seem to be commentating from the sidelines on this issue but there is no doubt, from what I garner of my view from the bleachers, that kids are definitely a handful. A testament to that is the coffee shop I'm in now has about 7 pregnant ladies meeting together barely able to get up from their booth. It seems it just gets harder from there!
I think there are some interesting presuppositions in this article and the main one has to be that happiness is equated with monetary/material things. If that is the requirement then there is no doubt that children will not (most likely) lead to happiness. However, your material possessions disappear with your death and do not carry on your legacy/personality. I think of the old days (sorry) when it was important for a king to have a son because it carried the family name. Now we seem to think that my 401 K is more important? I guess I just rely still on the Scripture:
Psalms 127
3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
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