Ah, the persuader’s point of view! I think there has to be some innate element to it as well as the learning, but given we do have the ability to learn to like things it’s definitely going to be a bit of both, definitely.

Yes there’s probably a difference between the different activities people do with their kids. Overall though it’s a pretty surprising result though. I heard that there was some research that challenges this but I was unable to find it.

Warren

I think perhaps there is a difference between “looking after children” which is for many parents/carers a chore.. hence the low happiness rating, and “spending time with children” by which I mean deliberately wanting to engage with them in an activity rather than simply responding to needs so that they are quiet and appeased as is the approach to an unfortunately large number of parents.

For example, I enjoy spending time with my friends’ kids because it is a deliberate activity that I am planning to enjoy. But I do not *have* children because that kind of fulltime responsibility would reduce me to a caretaking automaton and would neither myself or a child any good.

Great post.
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