Commentary – A lot of things change when you have kids. Suddenly, there is no such thing as a “good night’s sleep.” You always seem to have some sort of bodily fluid on your shirt (that isn’t yours), and your house constantly looks like Babies R Us threw up all over it.
But while parenthood may mean more mileage on your vacuum cleaner, does it change the way you view politics?
Parents.com and Parenting.com both decided to survey thousands of parents of varied race, ethnicity, religion, and political background. Their purpose, refreshingly, was not to find out who parents were voting for, but if becoming a parent had changed their outlook on politics.
Both polls found that the most important issues for parents are the economy, health care and education. Many parents noted that education and health care were not necessarily at the top of their priorities list pre-babies.
While parents disagree on many political issues, most parents agree that the world will offer their little one a better life than they had. Between 42 and 55 percent said that “their children’s lives will be better than their own.”
Some of the other survey findings were:
1. When asked to choose between an extra $10,000 annual income and an extra hour per day of quality time with their children, two-thirds of parents chose the money.
2. Forty-eight percent of parents claim they have become more politically motivated since having kids.
3. Seventy-four percent of parents say that the government is not doing enough for their children.
4. Seventy-five percent say that it doesn’t matter whether the first-lady is a stay-at-home mom or a career mom.
5. Forty-two percent of parents have changed their political views since becoming a parent.
6. Fifty-seven percent say they believe that being a parent would make you a better president.
7. One in 5 parents of children under 12 said that they’ve decided against having more children because of the economic downfall.
8. Thirty-six percent of parents say their kids have missed out on some activities their friends have participated in because of the recession.
What about you? Have your politics changes since having kids?
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