Why Couples With Kids Are So Dang Happy

3. Couples with kids embrace their youth. And they can remember and engage in their own childhood play. Couples without kids can pursue careers, achievement and fame — couples with kids often remember what they loved to play with as a child by playing with their children. Married With Kids? Try A Sexual Staycation

Many times how parents played as children provides a clue to how they create the life they want now, both personally and professionally. Having kids is a great way to immerse yourself in play and find ways to bring a playful spirit into all of life as a parent. —Mary Alice Long

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4. Couples with kids share stories with their children ... so that the wisdom of their path can serve future generations. Couples without kids can focus on intellectual and personal development by taking classes and earning degrees; couples with children can transform their own lives and the lives of their children though love and the values they teach that serve the greater good. From reading bedtime stories to sharing family stories, having kids is a great way to share lessons that hold the key to the future. —Mary Alice Long

5. Couples with kids communicate. Couples who can build a loving and caring relationship with their children have better communication with each other and a more positive view about life. Parents who connect easily with their children's feelings and needs are parents who are more easily connected with their own. In those relationships, parents continuously develop and strengthen their social intelligence, which in turn provides children with an effective communication model and helps them become socially intelligent adults&nbsp who will succeed in our society. —Cristina Wood

6. Couples with kids experience true happiness on a regular basis. Research is clear: Happiness isn't about having free time or more money to spend on yourself; it's about using your particular talents tobetter someone else's life. Each and every day parents experience the joy of making a child's life better, more productive and far more meaningful — all while doing the same for themselves! — Pat Love

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7. Couples with kids have the ultimate shared passion. The easiest and most powerful way for a couple to improve their relationship is to share an activity about which they are both passionate. Raising children together; watching them grow; teaching them the ways of life; enjoying their activities; loving and being loved by kids and especially experiencing those times of elation when Susie finds the money from the Tooth Fairy or Johnny puts on a tux for his first dance — all forge a relationship bond that can never be undone. — Pat Love