Children are magical – mostly. And they are really exhausting. But, according to a study, how strenuous they can be depends primarily on their number. Makes sense, doesn't it?
In this country, the classic family consists of two adults and two children. Houses, apartments, and cars … pretty much everything are designed for that. But what about our nerves? Is it only made for a child after all? Is it relaxed when you have more than two children or is everything from three onwards hell on earth? What number of children is the most demanding on parents in everyday life?
The creators of the website "todaysmoms.com" investigated this question and asked 7,000 mothers about their stress level. What was the result? That life with three children is the most stressful. Sixty percent of the mothers surveyed said they simply don't have enough time to get things done. 72 percent of the mothers were stressed from feeling stressed.
And what is the most relaxed number of children now?
What is the ideal number of kids in the house? According to psychiatrist Dr. Janet Taylor feels less stressed with four children. That is because with this number of children you stop trying to do everything perfectly and it is easier to let go. "There's just not enough space in our heads to think about perfectionism," says mother-of-four psychiatrist Dr. Janet Taylor. From her point of view, however, having many children is important: "The more children you have, the more confident you are as parents," says Taylor.
And now the gender question: boys or girls?
Scuffling, loud boys and loving, tinkering girls? Those who stick to gender stereotypes are wrong. Boys are by no means the more strenuous ones. 60 percent of mothers found life with daughters to be far more stressful than that with sons. Is that because of puberty? The hormones certainly have their part in it.