Parents, would you rather your child be happy or...

I would want my son to be happy. Although sometimes when they make what are inappropriate choices in your book it is hard to accept that they are really happy. I don't really care what he does,being a good person and functioning in society (in some kind of way)is what matters to me.

There is a point in your childs life when your guidance or speaking from experience is no longer needed unless asked for. There are things my kids have done that I wasn't sure would work out....and sometimes they didn't but that's how we get experience. If I was against it....I stood by their decisions. I want them to be happy and since they are the only ones that know what really makes them happy I say go for it...

That is my wish though, for my kids to be happy...They are free to follow (if any) whatever religion they want, date whatever gender they want and have whatever job they want (provided its not illegal of course)...I want my kids to be themselves and thats how I've always raised them...My wish for my kids is and has always been that they are happy in life and true to themselves, be themselves....I'VE NEVER tried to mold them into somehting they arent and I have serious issues with parents/caregivers that do that sort of thing..

It is very difficult to let go and none of my 4 children has made the choices in life that I would want for them. I would want them to be making more money and to be with different people who I think would be better for them. But it is more important for them to be happy than it is for me to be happy for them. I would rather see them happy than to worry that they haven't made the choices in life that I would want them to have made. Sometimes it is very difficult not to say something in the choices that they make as they become adults and leave home and become adults and go out into the world.

I have two daughters I want only that they are happy and healthy, if what ever job they wish to do in the future is not something I agree with well thats my problem and not something they should have to deal with. I will support my children no matter what and be happy that they are working!

I have always known that once my children reached a certain age they were going to be their own people. All I want is for them to be happy and safe. I know that the things I might want for their lives may not be what they want for their lives. I want them to follow their own dreams and their own happiness as long as they are safe.

I don't have children, but I do have parents. They always said they wanted us to be HAPPY, but there were times when they'd disapprove of things we did and try to talk us out of it, or use guilt like "I just want you to be happy" to get us to change, not realizing that we already WERE happy. When they got a little too nosey like that, I'd just pull away. Now my mother realizes that I am going to do what I am going to do, and the less she worries aloud about me, the more I will tell her about what I will do before I do it.

this question does not give enough info on a scenerio for me to answer. I want my child to do what is right - whether or not that coincides with their desires that oppose mine for them determines if I say "go ahead, what ever makes you happy" we can be content and happy even in a career that is not what we relish - or in a marriage that is not supportive. Happiness is a choice and can be obtained in any situation even in adversity.

I always tell my boys I want them to be happy. If they want to change tires at the local gas station or work for NASA, it doesn't matter as long as it's what THEY want to do. Of course we raise them, try to teach them the best we can. We can voice our opinions, but in the end, it is entirely up to them. I mean how many of us are actually happy in our chosen job/profession? If I were to push my son to be say a doctor, he may hate it. Then would he be doing the best he could for his patients or resent them? It's all about giving them (our children) all we can and trusting that when they take flight on their own, they know the right direction to fly in.

I think kids are kids. Sometimes they have some strange ideas and we can't blame for it. When I was a child, I wished to be a sales in a toy department or a staff to work in a zoo. This is not a big ambition but this is what I wanted to be when I was a child. If my child has told me something like that, I think I shall be glad to show I support him. He must have his own reasons to decide what he want to be in the future. And as time goes by, his dream may change. It is wrong to destroy a child's dream in my opinion. I love China

Hi There, Well, I am a parent of 2 daughters and I can say my greatest goal in life is to have them be happy. I don't care what their career is or who they are with, as long as they are treated well and happy. Part of making sure they get the right education etc.. is to help make sure that this happens. I think our role as parents is to give them the opportunities they need. cheers,

As long as she would not be in harms way I would much rather her be happy. I could care less who she wants to date or her career path as long as she is passionate about her decisions. If I disapprove of the choices she is making then I would give her my opinion but ultimately at a certain age her life is just that it is HERS. I would always be willing to give her my advice but she would be free to make the choice of what means the most to her.

this is such an easy question for me to answer. i want my son to be happy period. i love him unconditionally with all my heart and if he should tell me he is gay one day then so be it, if he tells me he is marrying outside his race no problem, if he wants an unconventional career i am behind him 100%. i love him no matter what and i have told him this over and over again and he knows it with his whole heart even at the young age of 7. it is so wonderful for him to know there is someone who loves him no matter what he does or who he is. we all need that.

I have 3 little boys. I want my kids to be happy. As long as they are happy with the choices they make in live, then I am happy. Even though I may not always approve of what they do in their lives, I will support them in whatever they decide.

i will say that i prefer to see my children happy rather than forcing them to follow what i want... of course as long as they are reasonable and not going on a wrong path... i will try to understand their needs and wants and i will support them whole-heartedly... but if they are walking in the wrong path, then of course i have to step in even though my children won't like it... i am not a parent yet at the moment... but i know that's what i will be doing and i don't want to be a parent that acts like a dictator... take care and have a nice day...

I would want my kid to be who they were not how I wanted them to be. This is not to say I would be okay if they were an atheist, in love with an abuser, a Republican zealot, a bigot, or so on. But I would learn to deal.

I would want both of my girls to be happy with what they have decided. I am sure I will speak my mind if I don't like their choice but I will try and live with it b/c I would always want my daughters to be around me and not want to run away b/c I don't approve of something she is doing. As long as they are not putting thier lives in danger then I am ok with what they decide.

Most parents will want the best for their children and they will insist on wat they think is the best, but they dun see it from the child's point of view.. And when we argue with them, they will say they have the experience to know wat's good for us.. But for me, being a child, facing this problem, i will always turn a deaf ear on wat they tells me.. Because i wanna do wat i want in life and i wanna be myself.. PLe changes as they grow up, gain experience and see different things, solving problems on our own.. With all these, we will know wat we are after, but our parents dunno.. We as a child, wun tell our parents too much of our problems as we dun wanna worry them, thus, in a way parents will always think that their child will never change.. BUt they are wrong by thinking that way.. So be it parents or child, decide on wat u wanna do, and parents to gaive a free rein to the child so that they can learn from failure.. As parents cant be with your child forever..