Parents Are The Happiest When Their Kids Move Out!

Our kids fill our lives with joy and happiness, along with stress and sleepless nights. And new research shows that the first part is true, but that happiness doesn’t really happen until later in life when the kids are out of the house.

According to a new study from Germany, parents report being happier than non-parents in middle age, but only when their kids have moved out. Researchers surveyed 55,000 people age 50 and older from 16 European countries about their mental well-being and family status. The empty-nesters felt fewer symptoms of depression and more joy in life, which lead researcher Christoph Becker says could be because “children’s role as caregivers, financial support or simply as social contact might outweigh negative aspects of parenthood.”

The study suggests that as parents get older, their adult children provide social support for parents as they age and keep them from being lonely, which has been linked to greater happiness. Of course, some moms and dads may have to wait to experience that satisfaction, because according to another study from 2018, 15% of millennials were still living with their parents.

Source:USA Today