Four is the magic number In a study conducted by Dr Bronwyn Harman from the Edith Cowan University in Perth, it was found that parents with four or more children are the happiest parents.
Women with two children are a bit less happy than their childless peers, with a 4-percentage-point gap (p < . 10). There are no appreciable differences in happiness for women with three or more kids; their levels of happiness are statistically indistinguishable from those of childless women.
Trends in ideal family size
Two children is always the most popular choice, followed by three children, four or more children, and one child or no children. Chi-square tests, however, indicate a significant difference in responses over time.
After three, you just stop stressing
Another study confirms that parents with four or more children are the least stressed, especially when compared to parents with three kids. Those fears with the first child get less and less as you go along. Turns out, four is the magic number for less stress and more happiness.
Here, researchers tracked people over 20 years and found that parents were actually happier after the birth of their second baby. With their first child, life satisfaction dipped for several years, then increased to levels higher than before. But a second child steadily increased happiness.
According to a study out of Australia's Edith Cowan University, parents with the most life satisfaction (which means those who are the happiest) are those that have four or more children.
"The survey finds that the majority of respondents believe that two children is the 'ideal' number for family happiness, but the majority of respondents also have two children.
“If you want to maximize your subjective well-being, you should stop at one child,” the study's author told Psychology Today. A more recent study, from Europe, found that two was the magic number; having more children didn't bring parents more joy.
They become quite independent as they reach 5-6 years of age, even wanting to help you with some of the chores! This is probably why most parents look at age 6 as the magical age when parenting gets easier.
Each child receives more parental attention and educational advantages, which generally raise her self-esteem. Children in small families, especially first and only children, tend to have higher school and personal achievement levels than do children of larger families.
A TODAYMoms.com survey of more that 7,000 mothers found that the least stressful number of kids is four, while the most stressful number is three. Scary Mommy blogger Jill Smokler told Today that she wholeheartedly agrees.
There are pros and cons to both, but according to a study on happiness in family life, those who are in larger families are happier. " … members of large families say they are more satisfied with their lives than others and that they think they have stronger personal relationships than most people."
The Benefits of Big Families
Kids with siblings have greater social skills than those without, and married people who grew up with more siblings are less likely to divorce, controlling for many background factors. One can imagine other tradeoffs as well.
According to a survey conducted by British parenting website Bounty, two girls are considered the best combination for parents to have a happy and harmonious family life. In their study, they surveyed 2,116 parents who had children aged 16 and under.
As it turns out, having three kids makes moms the most stressed of any combination of kids, according to a TODAY Parents survey. Mothers of three (naturally) reported more stress than parents of one or two kids ... but moms with four or more little ones actually reported lower stress levels.
Today.com asked more than 7,000 mothers how they felt about their families and the results showed that those with three children were the most stressed. The researchers concluded that once you reach a certain “critical mass” of children, parenthood starts to get easier. Yet three is the tipping point.
Age 8 Is the Hardest Age to Parent, According to Parent Poll.
The majority of parents with adult kids agree ages of 0 to 4 were the most stressful, and 29 percent say age 3 was the most difficult time for them. The brunt of it, however, was the teenage years, according to 30 percent of parents.
The years between eight and thirteen can leave you feeling like a parenting beginner all over again. They bring backchat, rudeness, defiance, highly emotive responses (SO many big emotions!), selfishness, “I hate yous”, sulking and door slamming.
Happiness for people with siblings doesn't stop with the day-to-day. People with more siblings are more likely to report happiness in the workplace. It's a difference of 8 percentage points of workplace happiness from only children to people with four or more siblings.
Are children happier with or without siblings? An only child is more content and confident than those with siblings, reports The Observer. Happiness in children declines once there are more siblings in the home, an Understanding Society research study has found.
There's also a growing belief that three is the ideal number of children, not two. Twins also throw a spanner into the equation; many people are concerned about the ideal age gap between siblings, and twins don't really have one.
A 2007 study found that the majority of Americans believe 2.5 kids is still the ideal number of children to have, and six out of 10 Americans believe "smaller" families — with two kids or fewer — is the way to go.
Based on the study findings, they suggest the optimal time between giving birth and getting pregnant again is 18 months, with a range of 12 to 24 months.
Children Affect Happiness
In terms of happiness, a compelling argument for having an only child comes from science that strongly indicates that mothers with one child are happiest.