TUESDAY 20 AUGUST 2019

Kids make us happier... but

only once they’ve left home

Parents with adult children have fewer signs of depression, researchers say (Getty)

PHOEBE WESTON

SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT

Children – they drain your finances, are constantly hungry, and need to be ferried to a hundred extra-
curricular activities.

Of course, they bring joy to families in priceless ways. But mothers and fathers are most likely to feel the
benefits of kids... when they’ve left home.

That’s the verdict reached by researchers at Heidelberg University in Germany, who found people whose
children have flown the nest have greater life satisfaction and fewer signs of depression. This is because
they rely on their children to help them out financially and provide care, which outweighs the stress of
raising them.

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