A senior in my math class said something similar the other day.

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Him: How much do you play the guitar?

Me: Not much now.

Him: That's why I never want to have a wife and kids.

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I just thought, "really? you want to spend your entire life alone so you can play the guitar more?"

Of course a lot of young people think this and it changes as they get older. But I also think parents sometimes say this to their kids - "remember, once you get married and have kids you lose your freedom." My parents said as much in a round about way.

They aren't encouraging their kids to pursue meaning. They're encouraging them to pursue happiness, which is fleeting and fickle.

Of course there's more to it than that. There's culture and economics and on and on. But I do think that parents sometimes send a message that their life was better before they had kids, even if they aren't explicit about it.