Allow me to reframe the narrative here. Happiness should never be sought. What I mean by that is no one can ever be lastingly happy. That's mania. Happiness is a fleeting emotion that when experienced signals many things that are joyful and pleasant. Happiness is an emotional state. No one should seek to live forever in an emotional state. Thus, I urge people to seek contentment or serenity, which I use synonymously. I often say "I seek contentment, which is not settling but a hopefully high-altitude baseline, coming from within and connection to without. It doesn’t stem from the acquisition of attachments but awareness of connection to the world and the universe as a living, breathing, and heart-beating organism and from alignment of mind and soul and discerning my why — my drive — from discovering who I am at my core."

Everything you mention in this essay, a job, a house, a wife, a child, can be viewed as an external attachment. They are all nice and they can give much pleasure. They can also bring much pain. People that say that their children give their life meaning are saying that because they are coping with otherwise not being content--then if the child is lost in any way, shape, or form, where does that leave them? I have two children and I love them unconditionally and deeply. They can't bring me contentment. They certainly bring me moments of sheer joy and proudness. True contentment can only be found within and through acceptance.