"The very purest form of birth control. Ever."

The quote in the title above comes from a UCLA graduate student who, in the name of research, was forced to watch hundreds of hours of typical middle class parents trying to negotiate with and control their strong-willed children. For many families, this is a painful experience. For those with no children, it is an affirmation that kids are not worth the trouble.

The premise of a recent article in New York magazine is that research shows that, for the typical adult, children decrease their happiness, not increase it. It tends to run against the widely announced view from many parents that "children are a joy."

In his blog, Albert Mohler accurately suggests that if our reason for having children is "to be happy," then we are likely to be disappointed. We must have bigger, more lofty aspirations than that.

I could write for hours about this subject, but Mohler covers it so well. So I'll just send you to him.

Read his post on the subject. It's just that good.