It’s actually not rocket science and the answer might be a little surprising. According to a new study from the University of Michigan, the secret to a happy marriage is two steps:
- Have a baby.
- Have another baby.
The research found marriages are more resilient after a second child. And that couples are less overwhelmed and stressed after their second child’s birth than they were with their first. The study said that a couple’s level of happiness after a second child drops for the first four weeks, but will return quicker than it did after the first child’s birth. To find this, researchers looked at more than 200 married couples and tracked them from their third trimester to 12 months after giving birth. Couples were asked to fill out reports on their marital communication, stress, support from family and friends, and marriage satisfaction. But there is a downside. Researchers also find that raising a second child can be harder than rearing the first and maybe this is the reason:
According to new guidelines in the journal Pediatrics, parents should talk to kids about alcohol before the age of ten. The American Academy of Pediatrics says kids begin to have positive thoughts about alcohol as early as age 9, thanks to advertising everywhere. But there’s good news: 80% of teens say their parents are the biggest influence on whether or not they drink. For that reason, the doctors who took part in the research say parents should try to influence children’s ideas about alcohol early, rather than trying to change their impressions later from positive to later.