• On Good Things Utah this morning – Couples without kids are probably so much happier than couples with kids. After all, couples without kids have fewer financial constraints, fewer responsibilities, and more time to themselves. Plus, waking up to change diapers in the middle of the night and all those other required parenting tasks must make coupled parents totally miserable, right? That’s what we thought, too. But, as it turns out, couples without kids are not any happier than couples with kids, according to our survey. We asked 101 YourTango Experts the following question: Agree or disagree — couples without kids are happier than couples with kids. A whopping majority of 80 percent said that they disagree with that statement. Naturally, it made us wonder: Are parents happy? What makes couples with kids so happy? We asked our experts the truth about how to be happy as a parent, and here’s what they had to say.
  • Here are reasons couples with kids are often happier than childfree couples, according to experts:
    • Couples with kids have imagination.
      • “While couples without kids can travel the world without diapers and strollers in tow, couples with kids can listen to their children’s dreams at home. In both their nighttime and daytime dreams, children fly to far-off planets, encounter friendly dinosaurs, and speak to characters in languages very different than those heard in their parent’s everyday real world. Having kids is a great way to be a part of a larger universe filled with freedom; the world of our dreams and imagination.” — Mary Alice Long
    • Couples with kids get down and dirty — and love it.
      • “Couples without kids can afford to buy the latest fashions, a new car each year, and a home in the suburbs. Couples with kids can get messy, down, and dirty. From playing with finger-painting and water, digging a hole in China to stomping in the mud during a rain storm, having kids is a great way to get back to essentials and simple exuberance in the moment of play!” — Mary Alice Long
    • Couples with kids embrace their youth
      • “And they can remember and engage in their own childhood play. Couples without kids can pursue careers, achievements, and fame. Couples with kids often remember what they loved to play with as a child by playing with their children. Tune in for more on this Hot Topic this morning on a Valentine edition of Good Things Utah.