Big families are the happiest, while single dads struggle the most because they feel left out of their children's lives, a five-year study of family life satisfaction has found. 
 
 Same-sex parents are the most resilient, have the highest self-esteem and the greatest social support of the eight family cohorts investigated by Edith Cowan University researcher Bronwyn Harman. Their satisfaction with their lives is only marginally less than that of parents with large families. 
 
 Dr Harman spent five years interviewing hundreds of parents from a range of family set-ups to ascertain what life is like for different families, and how resilience, social support and self-esteem contribute to parents' happiness. 
 
 Participants filled out questionnaires that scored their resilience, perceived social support, self-esteem and life satisfaction. Dr Harman then ranked the different groups of parents based on their scores. 
 
 Parents with four or more children were the most satisfied with their lot, enjoying, rather than feeling overwhelmed by, the chaos of a big family. 
 
 Although they said they have to deal with comments such as "are they all yours?" or "do they all have the same father?", large families benefit from lots of support from each other, and are rarely bored. Children learn responsibility from an early age, and older ones help out with their younger siblings. 
 
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 "[The parents] usually say they always wanted a large family, it was planned that way, and it was a lifestyle they'd chosen," Dr Harman said. 
 
 As the issue of gay marriage dominates political discussion, same-sex parents are also very happy with their lives, which Dr Harman attributes to greater social acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. 
 
 "As we move towards the idea of same-sex marriage as something we should have, the stigma around [same sex] parents is being reduced," she said. 
 
 Same sex parents have battled against stigma and discrimination because of their sexuality, which has made them less concerned about public perceptions and the most resilient of parents. 
 
 "They have to go to a lot of effort to get these children, so these children are very, very much desired," Dr Harman said. "Often when same-sex parents do have a child they feel like they've hit the jackpot because they didn't think it was going to be possible because of their sexuality." 
 
 Single fathers are the parents least satisfied with their lives because they feel like they're perceived to be the lesser parent. They can be blocked from seeing their children, left out of the loop with communication about school and medical matters, and excluded from family celebrations. Single dads said they were often mistakenly viewed as the instigator of the family break up, and they struggle to get time off work to look after their children because "a good father is a breadwinner not a homemaker". 
 
 "There is this perception that mothers are the real parents and fathers just sort of help," Dr Harman said. "There is still no understanding in 2015 that fathers are co-parents that have just as much responsibility for kids." 
 
 However single fathers whose children were now adults said it had been worth going through all the difficulties to maintain a strong relationship with their children. 
 
 Dr Harman said government services for families did not take into account that not all families were the same. "We need to remember that different groups of parents have different needs to contribute to their life satisfaction," she said. "It would be much better if we were able to separate the needs of different families and tailor services towards those individual cohorts." 
 
 Families speak: 
 
 Single dad: "I am broken and struggling with bitterness - and I struggle daily with the hurt" 
 
 Same-sex parents: "I feel more and more people are coming to realise that having same sex parents is not the worst a child could do in life" 
 
 Large families: "Our house is a joyful house. Our children all bring unique skills and personalities to our family" ||||| Moms and dads with four or more kids — as well as gay and lesbian parents — were among the most satisfied with life overall, an Australian researcher has found. (Photo: Marcel Weber/Cultura/Getty Images) 
 
 An Australian researcher has completed a five-year study of various types of families and which are the most content — and the results might catch you off-guard. 
 
 Story: ‘Families Like Ours’: When Kids and Same-Sex Parents Come Together in One of America’s Gayest Towns 
 
 “What surprised me the most, I think, was that parents who identify as LGBT — as well as mothers of large families — were the most satisfied with life,” Bronwyn Harman, a psychology and social science lecturer at the Edith Cowan University in Western Australia, tells Yahoo Parenting. 
 
 “I thought mothers of large families [with four or more children] would be less satisfied because of the financial stress — in addition to the workload, ferrying kids around, noise factor, and so on,” she continued. But while they did acknowledge these issues, as well as point out that they must deal with frequent nosy comments (“Are they all yours?” “Do they have the same father?”), there was lots of happiness at home. “They said that they had planned a large family, it was a joyful experience for them, the house was often full of laughter, and there were many reasons to celebrate,” she says. 
 
 Story: Do Kids Really Make Parents Happier? 
 
 Regarding gay, lesbian, or transgender-identified parents, Harman says, “I thought their well-being would be lower, because of discrimination and lack of acceptance of diversity. However, they said that this was not the case. In fact, they are finding that society is becoming more accepting of diversity, and this is reflected in our current political climate in Australia, where there is a groundswell of support to legalize gay marriage.” 
 
 For the study, which has not yet been published, Harman spent five years interviewing nearly 950 parents from different backgrounds to ascertain their level of happiness. Parents with four or more children were the most wholly satisfied, followed closely by LGBT parents. “These children are not accidents — the parents have to go to a lot of trouble and expense and forethought — so the child is very much desired,” Harman told ABC Australia, regarding the need for same-sex couples to use IVF, surrogacy, or adoption to become parents. “They see the child as an absolute blessing and something they may not have considered as being possible for them.” 
 
 Regarding the larger families, she told the publication, “Parents accept that there is chaos in their lives, but it does not negate the happiness they get from their families.” In addition, she said, “With large families, we think they have social support within the family. The kids are never bored, they have someone to play with, and they get independence quite early on.” 
 
 So which type of parent was the least satisfied with their lives? Single dads. “There is this perception that mothers are the real parents and fathers just sort of help,” Harman told the Sydney Morning Herald. “There is still no understanding in 2015 that fathers are co-parents that have just as much responsibility for kids.” 
 
 Single fathers, the researcher found, feel like they’re seen as the lesser parent — especially since they can be kept from seeing their kids, not communicated with regarding their children’s school and medical issues, left out of family celebrations, and often seen, wrongly, as the cause of family breakups. 
 
 In general, notes family therapist Lois Braverman, president and CEO of the Ackerman Institute for the Family in New York City, parental happiness often comes down to how much social support surrounds a family. “Parenting in isolation is the most difficult way to parent, whether you’re a straight or gay couple or a single parent,” Braverman tells Yahoo Parenting. She says it’s important for all moms and dads to feel supported in their decisions “either by their extended family or their family of choice within a community.” 
 
 It’s why parents in large families — as well as the kids themselves — may do so well. “One of the things you learn when you’re one of many is to be very flexible and how different people’s temperaments are,” she says. “You grow up in a little community of many different personalities.” 
 
 Read More ||||| The happiest parents are—drumroll, please—parents with four or more kids. 
 
 Parents of large families were found to have the most life satisfaction, according to a study by Australia’s Edith Cowan University. Dr. Bronwyn Harman, of the psychology and social science school at the university, spent five years studying what types of families are most content. 
 
 “[The parents] usually say they always wanted a large family, it was planned that way, and it was a lifestyle they’d chosen,” Harman told The Sydney Morning Herald. 
 
 During her five-year study, Harman interviewed hundreds of parents from different family makeups. Her findings are based on resilience, social support, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. 
 
 Her research points out that parental happiness relates to how much effort has been put into growing the family. 
 
 “What is important for kids are things like consistency, boundaries and [to] know that they are loved, no matter what,” Harman tells ABC Australia. 
 
 Prior to the study, Harman thought parents with more children would be less happy. 
 
 Though larger families may have more chaos and expenses than a smaller family, Harman’s research shows that these issues are balanced by the amount of joy received from having more children. 
 
 Her findings show that children who grow up in large families learn independence at a young age and always have someone to play with. ||||| Bigger is better: Parents with four or more children happiest despite chaos, research finds 
 
 Updated 
 
 Families with four or more children enjoy the greatest life satisfaction, a five-year study by Perth's Edith Cowan University has found. 
 
 Bronwyn Harman, a lecturer in the School of Psychology and Social Science, asked parents from different family types about resilience, social support and self-esteem. 
 
 She found that parents with four or more children had the best ratings in each of these areas. 
 
 The second-highest life-satisfaction scores, separated by just 0.25 per cent, were parents who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ). 
 
 "With large families, we think they have social support within the family," Dr Harman said. 
 
 "The kids are never bored, they have someone to play with and they get independence quite early on." 
 
 Everyone — chill out. What is important for kids are things like consistency, boundaries and [to] know that they are loved, no matter what. Dr Bronwyn Harman 
 
 Dr Harman's research revealed most big families were planned, but parents with many children described regularly being asked if they were Catholic, if they had a television and whether the children all had the same father. 
 
 The disadvantages of having a larger family, such as the expense and time pressures, were balanced out by the joy their children gave them. 
 
 "Parents accept that there is chaos in their lives but it does not negate the happiness they get from their families," Dr Harman explained. 
 
 She said the effort it took for LGBTQ indentifying parents to have children, using IVF, surrogacy or adoption, could explain their high life-satisfaction rating. 
 
 "These children are not accidents — the parents have to go to a lot of trouble and expense and forethought — so the child is very much desired," Dr Harman said. 
 
 "They see the child as an absolute blessing and something they may not have considered as being possible for them." 
 
 Mother of 16 children would like to have more 
 
 Such parents were also facing few pressures from the wider community around their sexuality. 
 
 "Stigma about same-sex parents is becoming lessened as we become more understanding of diversity," Dr Harman added. 
 
 Jeni Bonell has 16 children, aged one to 25, and agreed that her extra large family had made her and her husband very happy. 
 
 "I've just found over the years that I have truly loved having all these babies and watching them grow," Ms Bonell told 720 ABC Perth. 
 
 "We try really hard to make sure everyone gets individual time with mum and dad. 
 
 "They also have all this amazing support from their brothers and sisters as well." 
 
 Life can be chaotic and the family's weekly food bill can be up to $700, but she said the older children did most of the cooking. 
 
 "Every Sunday night, the older two that don't live here and my mum, come round for a roast dinner," Ms Bonell said, adding that she would like to have more children. 
 
 "We have this great big mass of people and we just laugh and tell jokes and it is so much fun." 
 
 Although Dr Harman's research found family type did affect parents' life satisfaction, it did not necessarily make a difference to a child's upbringing. 
 
 "It's not the family make-up that makes a difference to how a child is parented, it is the family processes," Dr Harman said. 
 
 People can parent well irrespective of their gender, age, relationship status, sexuality or income and the lesson was for parents to stop worrying about such things. 
 
 "Everyone — chill out. It's not important," she said. 
 
 "What is important for kids are things like consistency, boundaries and [to] know that they are loved, no matter what." 
 
 Topics: parenting, perth-6000 
 
 First posted
– Parents with lots of kids running around doing God knows what, be thankful—you're the lucky ones. According to a new study in Australia, parents with at least four children get the most satisfaction out of life despite the chaos and higher expenses, the Daily Signal reports. "With large families, we think they have social support within the family," study lead Bronwyn Harman tells ABC News Australia. "The kids are never bored, they have someone to play with and they get independence quite early on." She interviewed 950 parents over a 5-year period to evaluate their happiness level, Yahoo reports, and asked them about self-esteem, social support, and resilience. While parents with big families did have issues—like people asking if the kids had multiple fathers—they were still the most satisfied. Harmon thought they'd be stressed out, but "they said that they had planned a large family, it was a joyful experience for them, the house was often full of laughter, and there were many reasons to celebrate," she says. Second-happiest (by a razor-thin margin of 0.25%) were LGBT parents, who also planned their families and went the extra mile of getting kids by surrogacy, IVF, or adoption. "These children are not accidents ... so the child is very much desired," says Harmon. The least happy in her still-unpublished study were single dads, who she says are often seen as lesser parents and struggle to play a role in their childrens' lives. "There is this perception that mothers are the real parents and fathers just sort of help," Harmon tells the Sydney Morning Herald. (Now see what 53,000 children have to say about happiness.)