Happiness versus Fulfillment

A friend recently told me of a survey conducted between adults with kids and adults without kids. Adults without kids consistently ranked happier than adults with kids. So why do we want kids?

If I were to rank my happiness before and after having Kyra, I would align with the masses. What I realized is the decline in pure happiness is made up for by the extreme sense of fulfillment. Watching my daughter learn and grow is the most satisfying reward a person can experience.

Sitting on the couch watching reruns from the week and drinking an IPA on a Friday night does not sound like a night worth looking forward to. Yet as a parent, I sit there and know my child is sleeping soundly in her crib and am extremely satisfied. I now look forward to an early Saturday morning wake up call. While getting up at 6am does not make me happy, I'm completely fulfilled hearing her giggle with her dad.