The fact that it was felt we needed a poll in 2007 to figure this out says a lot about how we got to the sorry state we're in when it comes to our children:
So you're between the ages of 13 and 24. What makes you happy? A worried, weary parent might imagine the answer to sound something like this: Sex, drugs, a little rock 'n' roll. Maybe some cash, or at least the car keys.
Turns out the real answer is quite different. Spending time with family was the top answer to that open-ended question, according to an extensive survey — more than 100 questions asked of 1,280 people ages 13-24 — conducted by The Associated Press and MTV on the nature of happiness among America's young people.
A lot of parents of my generation screwed up their kids by convincing themselves that "quality" time could substitute for quantity. There's just time, and the more parents spend with their kids, the more kids think they matter. Duh.
This just in: Men and women are different.
