Hammock Parties
03-08-2011, 03:30 PM
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/436750_hopes08.html?source=rss
Study: Parents exaggerate joy of parenthood (Toronto Sun)
By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF
A Canadian university study found that parents often overstate the rewards of child rearing to justify the costs, according to a Toronto Sun report.
Researchers at Ontario's University of Waterloo found that parents who'd been shown the financial costs of raising children were more likely to talk about the happiness their kids deliver, according to the Sun report. Parents shown the long-term benefits of procreation -- chiefly support in old age -- were less inclined to do so.
According to the Sun report:
The testing measured their idealization of parenthood while also looking at their discomfort and uneasiness during the course of the reading and interview questions.
"Although raising children has largely negative effects on parents' emotional well-being, parenthood is often idealized as a uniquely emotionally rewarding role," the study says.
Previous research has found during the years most people spend parenting, they tend to report lower life satisfaction and less happiness.
Click the following link (http://www.torontosun.com/life/2011/03/04/17493731.html) for the whole story on parenting happiness, or lack thereof.
Parents often exaggerate the joys of parenthood as a way to mentally justify how much money the kids are costing them, a new study says.
Researchers at the University of Waterloo found the rewards of raising children are often a myth.
The researchers divided 80 parents into two groups.
One group was given reading material that says it costs about $185,000 to raise a child to 18. The other group was asked to read about the long-term benefits of being a parent, including financial and practical support in old age.
In follow-up interviews, the parents who were asked to read about the cost of children were more likely to talk about the happiness their children bring to their lives and to say they enjoy spending time with them.
The testing measured their idealization of parenthood while also looking at their discomfort and uneasiness during the course of the reading and interview questions.
"Although raising children has largely negative effects on parents' emotional well-being, parenthood is often idealized as a uniquely emotionally rewarding role," the study says.
Previous research has found during the years most people spend parenting, they tend to report lower life satisfaction and less happiness.
The idealization is a form of psychological defence parents use to cope with the downsides, the researchers say.
Idealizing parenthood is a modern phenomenon, the researchers argue. It developed during the 20th century as children began to play a less important role in helping earn a family's income and performing labour at home.
But while children are contributing less to a household, they are costing more to raise, the study says.
"Our findings help to resolve this paradox by demonstrating that the costs of raising children motivate parents to idealize parenthood," the study argues.
The study is published in the journal Psychological Science.
Study: Parents exaggerate joy of parenthood (Toronto Sun)
By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF
A Canadian university study found that parents often overstate the rewards of child rearing to justify the costs, according to a Toronto Sun report.
Researchers at Ontario's University of Waterloo found that parents who'd been shown the financial costs of raising children were more likely to talk about the happiness their kids deliver, according to the Sun report. Parents shown the long-term benefits of procreation -- chiefly support in old age -- were less inclined to do so.
According to the Sun report:
The testing measured their idealization of parenthood while also looking at their discomfort and uneasiness during the course of the reading and interview questions.
"Although raising children has largely negative effects on parents' emotional well-being, parenthood is often idealized as a uniquely emotionally rewarding role," the study says.
Previous research has found during the years most people spend parenting, they tend to report lower life satisfaction and less happiness.
Click the following link (http://www.torontosun.com/life/2011/03/04/17493731.html) for the whole story on parenting happiness, or lack thereof.
Parents often exaggerate the joys of parenthood as a way to mentally justify how much money the kids are costing them, a new study says.
Researchers at the University of Waterloo found the rewards of raising children are often a myth.
The researchers divided 80 parents into two groups.
One group was given reading material that says it costs about $185,000 to raise a child to 18. The other group was asked to read about the long-term benefits of being a parent, including financial and practical support in old age.
In follow-up interviews, the parents who were asked to read about the cost of children were more likely to talk about the happiness their children bring to their lives and to say they enjoy spending time with them.
The testing measured their idealization of parenthood while also looking at their discomfort and uneasiness during the course of the reading and interview questions.
"Although raising children has largely negative effects on parents' emotional well-being, parenthood is often idealized as a uniquely emotionally rewarding role," the study says.
Previous research has found during the years most people spend parenting, they tend to report lower life satisfaction and less happiness.
The idealization is a form of psychological defence parents use to cope with the downsides, the researchers say.
Idealizing parenthood is a modern phenomenon, the researchers argue. It developed during the 20th century as children began to play a less important role in helping earn a family's income and performing labour at home.
But while children are contributing less to a household, they are costing more to raise, the study says.
"Our findings help to resolve this paradox by demonstrating that the costs of raising children motivate parents to idealize parenthood," the study argues.
The study is published in the journal Psychological Science.