Why Having Kids Might Make You Happier | Dr. Robert Hamilton

Pediatrician Dr. Robert Hamilton discusses why Western fertility is declining and argues that having kids increases happiness. He covers newborn development, helicopter parenting, and why religious communities have larger families than secular ones, drawing on his book 7 Secrets of the Newborn.
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Children, the second half of their first year, they get— they have this thing called stranger anxiety. So people who are not their mom and their dad, or people very close to them, they have a reaction to them which is usually crying and screaming and wanting to get away from them. And this is kind of embarrassing for the parents because they go, oh, he's such a good baby, but you know, every time Grandma, who's from Florida, shows up. He has a complete fit when Grandma tries to hold him, which is embarrassing for the family. And of course, Grandma feels kind of bad about that too.
I just want to say from the Prager family lore, you will like this. This is— you just reminded me, I don't think I ever mentioned this on the radio. There would have never been a reason to. My, my older brother, almost 6 years older than I, so this precedes my birth. But it is said that whenever our beloved Aunt Buddy came, he threw up. I can't tell you how sad I felt for Aunt Buddy.
That's coming up on Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager.
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Welcome to Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager. Hear thousands of hours of Dennis's lectures, courses, and classic radio programs, and to purchase Dennis Prager's Rational Bibles. Go to DennisPrager.com.
Hi everybody, Dennis Prager here. One of the great themes that I have talked about is the increase— or decreasing amount of marriage in the United States, the decreasing number of children born in the West. There are countries that are going out of business. Do you realize that? Within 100 years, I don't know if there will be a— what there will be in terms of a Germany or a Spain or a Belgium, as you write in— my guest I'm looking at, I have a distinguished guest. I happen to know the man. So what do they call it when you have to give full disclosure? Yeah, full disclosure. I like him. I don't know, what am I supposed to say? I know him and I like him, but there are a lot of people I know and like who don't come on the show. By the way, there are even people I don't like who come on the show. But I nevertheless, I wanted to mention that because he is a pediatrician in practice in Santa Monica, California, where nobody has babies. So now he's only seeing people from other parts of Southern California. Actually, I want to talk to you about Santa Monica. It'd be an interesting thing. Dr. Bob Hamilton, Robert Hamilton, MD, pediatrician for more than 30 years, founder of Pacific Ocean Pediatrics in Santa Monica. And you have gone on 30 medical missions. I didn't know that. 30.
Wow.
I know you go to Africa and Central America because I want— I told you I wanted to go on one of them with you. We'll still work that out. I could broadcast from there. Was it Gabon? Right.
The Gambia.
The Gambia. Oh, not Gabon. Okay. The Gambia.
The Gambia.
By the way, is it called the Gambia?
It's a funny thing. Like, like the Netherlands is called the Netherlands, and The Gambia is called The Gambia. There's a river called—
I did not know that.
The Gambian River, but just Gambian River. But yes, it is The Gambia, which confuses the heck out of everybody.
Yeah, I'm one of them. Dr. Hamilton has written a book which has really gone— I'll bet you, you didn't expect it to be as popular as it is. It's really successful.
We're working on it, and it came out 3 months ago, actually, almost to the day.
And it's called 7 Secrets of the Newborn: Secrets and Happy Surprises of the First Year. And it's published by St. Martin's Press. And the reason I mention it, because a lot of people send me books they would like to come on, totally understandably. And I, and I respect anyone who's written a book, whether they publish it themselves or they have an established publisher. But, uh, it— having an established publisher says to me that somebody thought it worthwhile to invest in this person's book. That's the difference between that and a self-published book. So I want all authors to understand why we have a sort of rule here that we have books published by actual publishers, because then we know it has met certain criteria. Anyway, 7 Secrets of the Newborn. You have a piece in the Los Angeles Times God said, be fruitful and multiply, and multiply. Robert C. Hamilton. This just came out September 12th, and the— it is, it is about your observations in comparing and contrasting Belgium and Israel in terms of fertility. Let's talk before we get to the 7 Secrets of the Newborn. Is that the title? Yeah. 7 Secrets of the Newborn. Which is up at DennisPrager.com, by the way. The book is up at our website. To what do you attribute the decline in fertility in the West?
You know, there's a lot of factors, but I think that the— probably when you think about what has gone on in the last several years, I think they're basically— we're beginning to lose our vision for life. Something happened after World War II during the '50s and '60s and '70s. Certainly, the feminist revolution, if you will, was a part of that. But in terms of that idea of the '50s, we had the '50s and moms were at home and there was this idea that life was kind of a wonderful time in American life in some ways. A lot of people looked, turned around and said, we don't want that anymore. And I think that that changed a lot of what happened with women because women are the ones who bear children. And if you look at the studies, women who are going into careers, who are going to college, which by the way is a good thing. My wife and I have 4 children. We've encouraged— they've all gone to college. And 4 daughters, 6 children I should clarify. But our 4 daughters have all gone to college. But as a result of that, what is happening is that women are putting off, uh, that, that goal, which, which was really very evident when I was a kid, of having children. So that's a big part of it.
When you, uh, see patients, the ones having children in Santa Monica, California, I know well, not only being a resident of Southern California, but I conducted the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra and got Quite immersed in the political life of your city. So your city is known as quite left, and I associate left with not having babies, in fact not even getting married in many instances. Is that a fair stereotype?
You know, here's the thing. I deal with people who have children, so by definition I'm dealing with a kind of a subpopulation of my community, Santa Monica.
Okay, good.
So that, that in fact raises the question I wanted to ask. Assuming that a fair number of the women whom you see who are having children are on the left, why are they having children?
I think that this concept of having children, this goal, this kind of lifetime hope, is resident in people in general, even whether, whether you're on the left or the right. Definitely there are people who are real true ideologues who say we want no children, we don't want to populate the world anymore, and so they're not having children. They're relatively rare. But what I do find that that residue of wanting a child is something which is deeply inherent to human beings. It's in our DNA. It really is in the genetic code. So, People, even whether you're on the left or the right or whatever, they want children. However, what I find is that people who do tend toward more leftist ideology, and I don't know how people, everybody in my office stands, they tend to have 1, maybe 2 children. The concept of overpopulating, even though that is really wrong, as you mentioned in your opening statement here, we actually have a big issue in Western world right now with with populations actually decreasing. But anyway, they rarely go beyond 2. People who are more religious, people who have— who tend to be a little bit on the righter side of the spectrum, who I know that to be, they have larger families. And I think that to a degree, religion is a big part of it. We see that in Israel, which is a— if you look at the piece I did for the Wall Street Journal there, the actual— What's the number?
Oh, this is the Wall Street— I thought this was the LA Times.
No, no, that's the Wall Street Journal.
Oh, oh, okay, fine. I was wondering why the LA Times would publish you. As soon as I saw the word God in the headline, I just assumed, what? The LA Times is publishing this? Oh, it's the Wall Street Journal, okay.
I would love to be published in the LA Times, believe me. But anyway, if you look at that article and dissect it, actually, it really depends on how religious you are, how many children you actually bear. The conservative, what they call the Haredi population in Israel, are having 6.9 children per woman, which is an astronomical number really.
And it's very hard to have 9/10 of a child. I mean, that's an achievement in and of itself. I'm speaking to Dr. Robert Hamilton. He's a pediatrician in Santa Monica. He's written this terrific book, 7 Secrets of the Newborn: Secrets and Happy Surprises of the First Year. You have a profession that I have to believe is one of the handful, and just, I don't— if I'm wrong, tell me I'm wrong. I don't care. You know that. You've heard me speak. But it would seem to me you have one of the few professions that is fairly happy every day.
Is that right?
That's very true. I tell people that in terms, if you have to go out and get a job, I've got the best job in the world. I get to get up in the morning and get to go to hospitals and look at babies who were born the night before. I pick them up, I hold them, I show them to their mom and dad. Their parents are ebullient. They're so delighted. And it's really a happy time of life. I mean, remember— I mean, I remember back when we were having children, what a joy and what an incredible sense of hope and purpose you have when you have a child. So I'm dealing with young people who are in that phase of their life. When they're having children, and I get to listen. I get to watch them grow up. I kind of shepherd them, if you will, through their early childhood years and, you know, junior high, high school. I eventually have to kick them out of the practice when they get taller than me and bigger than me and are going to college. But I get to go through that whole process with families, and it's a real tremendous joy.
Yeah, I remember the Arab— my pediatrician bonded with my kids. I mean, it's a big deal. 7 Secrets of the Newborn, Dr. Robert Hamilton, 1-800-PRAGER-776.
This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this.
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Now, back to more of Dennis Prager's timeless wisdom.
Baby love, my baby love, I need you, oh how I need you.
But all you do is treat me bad, break my heart and leave me sad.
Tell me, what did I do wrong?
Hi everybody, I'm Dennis Prager. And is it, uh, let's see, Hillsdale time? Is that right?
Thank you.
On behalf of the show, on behalf of the U.S., on behalf of Hillsdale, my guest has written a remarkable book, 7 Secrets of the Newborn. He's a pediatrician in practice for well over 5 years now.
Plus 25. Plus—
yeah, yeah. That simply means he knows what he's doing. He's— his patients love him for good reason. And he has written this book now, which is a bestseller actually, 7 Secrets of the Newborn: Secrets and Happy Surprises of the First Year, up at DennisPrager.com. So when I speak to young people, it is apparent that an inversion of all of history has taken place. Children are now regarded by vast numbers of Americans as impediments to happiness.
That is very true. And it is true because they don't know. They've been told that they— yes, there are— children bring a lot of work. If you talk to any of my young parents, they'll tell you, yes, we're up all night. We do a lot. You know, we have diapers, we have food, we have to change them, this and do that. We take them here and they get sick. There are a lot of things, but interestingly enough, Dennis, in preparation for this interview, yesterday I was having like, I was interviewing my patients and I looked, I held up their child and said, what has this child brought to your life? And some of them with tears in their eyes said, number one was joy. Joy. Number two, just laughter and happiness. Another guy said purpose. Another woman said, everything. I'm not sure what she meant by everything, but everything. And so when you actually begin to have children, when they actually come into your life and you realize that, of course, they're work, of course we all know that, but when you begin to realize the blessing and the joy and the delight and how children light up virtually every room that they walk into, they begin to kind of go, wow. We didn't know this. I've had women really truly in their mid-30s have their first child, which is becoming more and more common. And they, they come into my office and look, I, I talk to my patients. They know who I am and what I'm up to, and I, I get to know them. And I, I say, tell me about this, you're 35. And some of them literally look at me and say, why didn't anybody tell me? Why, why was I, why was I mistaken about Children and the blessing and the— and how much they change your life in a good way, in a good way. And, and children really do, they mature us, they, they take us out of ourself. And if anything, and this is a good thing too, they bring us into the next generation. They thrust us. By definition, we are— as a father, I'm concerned about, you know, 20 years now, 20 years from now, what will be happening.
Yep.
That's a very good point. You think in that way. Do you know young women who are opting not to have children, or that obviously they're not going to come to your practice, but do you know them at all in life?
I do. There are a couple of them. Some of them sadly have, you know, the way life has gone, they've been married and divorced or whatever, and they've kind of gone beyond their years where they can have children, and they've come to that point. Where they said, I don't want children. Okay, well, there aren't too many that I'm aware of that actively, actively, uh, in their early 20s, mid-20s, unless some kind of terrible dysfunction has happened in the family, say, I never want to have children. I know, I know they're out there because I read like you read, but I don't run into them very often.
You know, uh, Dr. Bob, I was with a woman. I announced this on the radio this week. I met a woman Just recently at a— I'll just say a certain get-together. So I frequently ask young women, in fact I'll ask them, how old are you? So she turns out she was 34. And I asked her, are you married? No. And do you want to get married? And then she gave the answer that most troubles me, and that is, oh, if, you know, if somebody comes around, you know, that'll be fine, but I'm preoccupied with my career. Her career being acting, which is particularly dangerous because very few people ever make it in acting, just the nature of the beast, as it were. But the reason I'm telling you this is what really fascinated me is the woman goes to church every Sunday. And I asked on the air, Maybe you're a churchgoer, so tell me, are Christian churches not advocating marriage? Is it an unspoken issue?
Certainly in our church, we talk about marriage all the time. We have a lot of young people, we have a lot of children in our congregation, so in our congregation, we do talk about marriage. For whatever reason though, there are plenty of congregations, and they can be conservative and more to, you know, more more liberal in their theology, who are not really getting up there and saying, we need to have children. We want—
No, no, we even need to get married.
Let's start with that.
Let's start with that. Yeah, exactly. It isn't happening, and I'll tell you what it is. It represents really an— you know, we're acclimatizing ourselves to the culture, and that is happening in churches throughout the country. We kind of look at the culture as kind of leading the church rather than the church leading the culture.
Today, if you meet a woman who's 25— 25, not 20, 25— married and has a child, she is the outlier.
She would be the outlier.
Yes.
This is brand new in American history.
It really is, and definitely in urban America. In rural America, it's still happening. It happens all the time. When I have those kind of people, by the way, I have a handful in my practice who are relatively young mothers, I look at them and I ask I ask them, and I say this, I say, where did you get your common sense? Because I want to know what is the motive, you know, what is it about them?
That is a great question. Where did you get your common sense? And then they say, oh, listen to the Dennis Prager Show. And he goes, really?
Me too.
I listen to Pragertopia every night.
Yes.
All right, back in a moment. The book, 7 Secrets of the Newborn.
This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this.
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Now back to more of Dennis Prager's timeless wisdom.
All right. Speaking to a thoughtful and, and highly acclaimed pediatrician, Dr. Robert Hamilton, pediatrician in Santa Monica, California. The book has done really well and it could really touch your life. 7 Secrets of the Newborn: Secrets and Happy Surprises of the First Year. Give me a happy surprise. Tell me one. I've had 1-year-olds. What's a happy surprise?
Well, happy— one great happy surprise I found as I researched the book was at the point of conception, there's a flash of light. And so, when the ovum and the sperm actually unite, and it usually happens in the fallopian tube, there's actually an influx of calcium ions into that that zygote, and there is an exit of, of zinc ions, and that zinc exit causes there to be literally a spark. There's a little flash of light that happens.
That's not a surprise. Everybody listening knew that. Give me a break. Zinc ions. You know how often Sean mentions that? In fact, instead of saying, would you turn the light on, he said, just a little zinc ion, Dennis.
So, you know, when you think about this, this has been going on, Dennis, for the millennium. And, you know, I think about this, I think this is like a little thing that God has looked at and said, you know, let there be light, let there be life. And it kind of goes, it kind of like one of those things that you kind of go, wow, this has been going on forever. That flash of light, that kind of annunciation, if you will, of new life.
So let me ask you about the first year.
How—
I'm not asking a cliché question. I really, I want to know the answer. How much of us is formed in the first year?
Well, that's a great question. I would say this. When you think about the first year of life, you think about a newborn baby, they're kind of this highly dependent little lump of humanness. Very sophisticated, by the way. You don't know it, but when you actually look at them every day, you realize that they're pretty together. And you think about a 1-year-old child. What are they doing? Well, a 1-year-old child is walking. They're intensely curious. They're beginning to, to babble. They're talking maybe a word or two. And the— they're relatively, uh, coordinated with their hands. They can actually feed themselves. And you think about the progression from that newborn infant who was just laying there, hardly able to lift up their head, and a 1-year-old child, it is an incredible, incredible year in terms of development. Now, brain-wise, they're also— what is happening in the brain is literally this electrical storm. The synapses are forming between the neurons. By the way, we're born with about 100 billion neurons in our brain. That is equal to the stars in the Milky Way. This is an astounding number. And at points along the in utero development, we're actually making 250,000 neurons every minute. These are amazing, amazing numbers.
Really? That is amazing.
Amazing numbers. And I mean, you think about that a— you have to realize that that zygote, we just talked about that, That uniting of the ovum and the sperm together, that zygote in 9 months is going to be a breathing, living little baby who's crying for food and suckling on the mother and, you know, pushing up. They have, you know, relatively good strength even as a newborn.
What's your theory? At what age do they know that they are they and not an extension of their mother, let's say?
I think that's probably around 3 months of age.
Is that already?
It really is. I mean, I have this little— I actually, if you read my book, you'll— I actually say that 3 months is my favorite age. And people say, why is that? And I— because it's kind of— what about, you know, 10 years of age, 11? 3 months. I'll tell you why. They're finally over that fussy period where they're going, eh, they're groaning and moaning all the time. And I actually think— this is just me making this this up. I think by 3 months of age, they've forgiven their mother for giving them birth. I kind of don't think—
That's adorable. That is truly adorable.
I think that they're— I think they're rebelling for the first 3 months of their life.
That's my theory. The kid comes out of the womb. I didn't want to leave. I didn't— I didn't ask to be conceived. Once conceived, I didn't ask to be exited.
That's right. Yeah, it really is true. At about 3 months of age, they finally have decided that they're part of the human race and they're willing to kind of go with it and they become much more delightful. Mothers, for their part, are feeling a little bit better about themselves. They're beginning to get a little sleep and their weight is going down, a lot of factors. So anyway, that is my favorite age.
3 months. Well, if it's a pediatrician's favorite age, then it's a big deal. Dr. Robert Hamilton. His book is Seven—
not The—
Seven Secrets of the Newborn: Secrets and Happy Surprises of the First Year.
Dennis. Dennis. Dennis.
Dennis Prager.
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Hello everybody, Dennis Prager here having a ball with Dr. Robert Hamilton, book 7 Secrets of the Newborn, which even if you don't have a newborn, born in the house is just— it's just illuminating. And he has an infectious way of delivering his thinking. He has been a pediatrician since the Ulysses Grant era. And so he really does have a lot of expertise. I mean, that's, that's a serious period of time. He has 11 great-great-grandchildren. He's actually one of the younger-looking experienced pediatricians that you'll ever meet. The book again, 7 Secrets of the Newborn. So we're talking about, uh, parents as well as kids here. So back to the parents, what's your take? And I, I know you want to be careful because obviously these are patients or might be patients. So without even referencing, and of course not referencing any of your patients, do you think it is legitimate to be concerned about what is called the helicopter parent?
This is a new phenomenon. And the helicopter parent by definition is that parent who is literally hovering over their child 24/7, Right. Arranging their schedule, making sure they're getting to their French classes and their ballet and their soccer and their karate, and it goes on and on and on. And children don't have a break. And that is a— that's kind of a phenomenon of our wealth, of the fact that they can do that, number one. And also it's a function of the fact that the mothers don't have a lot of children. They have one child.
Oh, what a great point! I hate it when I didn't think of a great point.
And I tell people, if you really want to get over your anxiety, have about 5 more children.
That's right, of course!
You don't have time to be anxious.
That is such a— it's so— the moment you said it, I realized that. You can't be a helicopter over 5 kids.
I actually did actually think—
You need 5 helicopters.
You're right. Anyway, so that's what I tell people, that, you know, the helicopter phenomenon is you kind of have too much time on your hands.
I want to say for the record, my parents raised me as if they had 12 kids. My parents, my parents were helicopter parents in the sense that the helicopter was always being repaired. And I thank God for it.
Thank God for that. Absolutely.
Yes, I learned to be independent.
Yes, that's exactly right.
You have a thing in here about strangers. I just want to say, my first son— I was the director of a retreat center, so 1,000 people would come up on the weekends. So my son was touched in his first year by about 1,000 people. I mean that sincerely. Never got sick. He probably developed antibodies.
He did.
I mean, and, and what does he do now? He's a professional fundraiser because he deals so well with people. That people hide kids from strangers or tell them, oh, don't talk to strangers.
This—
it is, it is hurting the child. I mean, I'm editorializing. You're the doctor. Go ahead.
Well, if you're referring to stranger anxiety, I mean, there are, you know, young children love people. They really do. And but there is a funny thing that happens when children, the second half of their first year, they get— they have this thing called stranger anxiety. So people who are not their mom and their dad or people very close to them, they have a reaction to them which is usually crying and screaming and wanting to get away from them. And this is kind of embarrassing for the parents because they go, oh, he's such a good baby, but you know, every time Grandma, who's from Florida, shows up. He has a complete fit when Grandma tries to hold him, which is embarrassing for the family. And of course, Grandma feels kind of bad about that too.
I just want to say from the Prager family lore, you will like this. This is— you just reminded me. I don't think I ever mentioned this on the radio. There would have never been a reason to. My, my older brother, almost 6 years older than I, so this precedes my birth. But it is said that whenever our beloved Aunt Buddy came, he threw up. I, I can't tell you how sad I felt for Aunt Buddy hearing, hearing this. This is what—
Yeah, no, they, they literally have a, a almost an out-of-body experience, you know, and they, they're terrified, they're screaming, and they do not want to be held Right.
To show you how, how weird I am, I preferred strangers. I had family anxiety. I loved strangers. What you must see in the course of what you could— it's very funny. I was going to say you could write a book. I realized, by golly, he did. 7 Secrets of the New— why did you title it Secrets?
I think that people are— I mean, look, I'm trying to sell books, Dennis, and so I think that people are intrigued by the word secret. They kind of go, what could it be? You know, and they maybe they'll be apt to pick up this book. So it's a marketing strategy.
So it's really insights, 7 insights.
Okay, you can put it that way. You won't sell any books, but you can put it that way.
No, no, I'm simply defining it for the audience. What it really is is 7 Insights.
You're correct, Dennis.
Yeah.
You're correct.
No, no, I think that's great.
I'll change the title.
No, no, don't change the title. I think it's a great title, but I was— I love your honesty. It just is better. You know, I agree with you.
I—
we all know the importance of titles. I think we have a former patient of yours here who's now a 42-year-old man. Christian in Lakewood, California.
Hi.
Hello, Dennis. First of all, you guys are comedy gold. It's wonderful. Dr. Hamilton, I can't believe it. I ran into one of your wonderful videos of the hold for newborns when you put that out in 2015, and I was just amazed how wonderful you're doing and the work you're doing in Africa. And my— yes, myself and my siblings Claudia and Benjamin were for his patients. And for the life of me, I don't understand why I'm not bringing my, uh, my 5 and 4-year-old to his practice, because he's the most wonderful— just the most warm and wonderful man I think I can remember.
Yeah, he wondered that too. He said to me during the break, you know, there was this guy, uh, a guy Christian living in Lakewood, doesn't bring his kids.
Thank you. You're very kind, Christian. I, I thank you for your kind words.
This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this.
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Now back to more of Dennis Prager's timeless wisdom.
Hi, my friends. Final segment here with Dr. Robert Hamilton, Seven Secrets of the Newborn. And he's, he's a good man and a good doctor and a good writer. Well, there's a woman calling in who comes from a family of 12 children. That's double yours.
Wow.
Yeah.
So I'm going to talk to her for a second. This is— I love this subject. Hi, Mary, in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.
Hi. Hello, Dennis. It's such a pleasure to talk to you.
Thank you.
Um, look, I come from a family of 12. Um, uh, both my parents are deceased. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to get emotional. My mother just recently died, but they would tell her all the time, it only took you 10 tries to get the bus ticket.
I'm sorry, I feel terrible. It's— I couldn't make out a lot of that except that she broke up, uh, in tears over her mom. I'm sorry, I just— it's a bad connection. I, I wish I could take you more. What is the largest family that— I would think in Santa Monica it's pretty rare to have more than 2. So have you had anything more than 6?
We have. I've had one, and this is in my entire career, Of 9.
That was it.
And yeah, now mind you, this, uh, they were dear friends of ours, actually become dear friends over time, because people who have 6 children don't have any friends, uh, other than people who have, you know, 6 or more people, because nobody wants to invite them to their home. But anyway, they were a family. They began with 3. They had triplets right out of the gate. Boom. And so—
Wait, were they on some fertility medicine?
No, this was—
That's amazing.
Just a natural—
A natural 3?
Natural.
Wow.
So this family had 3, so they were kind of ahead of everybody right from the very beginning, right? And then they had a set of twins, and then they had— then you're up to 5. Then they had 4 other singletons, all of them amazing young kids. But that's pretty rare. I have another— our pastor has 8 children, and I have a couple other family friends who have 7, 6, But look, the majority of people in Santa Monica, like I say, have like 2.
Yes, I would understand. Anyway, folks, the book, 7 Secrets of the Newborn, it is up at DennisPrager.com. More power to you, Robert Hamilton. You deserve a great deal of success with the book.
Thank you. Thank you, Dennis.
Tomorrow on Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager.
I have always said that the biggest obstacle to Happiness is human nature, human nature itself, and specifically that it's insatiable. No, the human nature is insatiable. It can never be fully satisfied. Whatever it is we want, we want more of— money, love, fame, power, sex, uh, whatever it is you want, excitement, whatever it is. And, and that's built into us. It is built in by God or by nature or by both. However, having said that, once you leave the built-in obstacles to happiness, I, for the first time, I think that I might be able to isolate what for many people, I can't say all, but for perhaps the majority of people, aside from human nature, what I think the greatest obstacle to happiness.
Join us tomorrow to hear more on Timeless Wisdom. With Dennis Prager. Visit DennisPrager.com for thousands of hours of Dennis's lectures, courses, and classic radio programs, and to purchase Dennis Prager's Rational Bibles. We want to take just a second to thank the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on the podcast. Go to LifeAudio.com to find dozens of other faith-centered podcasts in their network, including shows about prayer, Bible study, parenting, And more.
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