Wednesday, August 28, 2019

I'm making my Mom happy right now

While everyone has read the reports that having children doesn't make you happier and that parents of young children are often more stressed than their childless peers, I would like to point out that I am making my Mom's life happier right this moment.

There is a specific reason for this: I am an adult child who doesn't live with her.

You're welcome, Mom.

While the research on that link is mostly observational, it does completely make sense. There has to be some sort of parental satisfaction involved with having your child be successful and move out of the house. Then you can enjoy some time to yourself, while hopefully still hearing from your child when they need advice or want to give you an update on life. And - as we've learned previously - those kids will probably live close enough to you to visit fairly often (but will still need to call first.)

My son is nine, and as he sometimes likes to remind me, "halfway grown." He likes to tell me that he plans to move out when he is college ready, and from there get a place from his own. While that thought pains me a little right now, we haven't been through his teenage years yet. So, who knows how I'll feel as the years go on.

In the meantime, I'll call my Mom and tell her that I'm doing great and that she did a great job raising me. And for that, we can both be happy.

Are you happy with your children right now? Tell me in the comments.

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