> Children are one’s greatest happiness, but often & often a still greater misery. A man of science ought to have none, — perhaps not a wife; for then there would be nothing in this wide world worth caring for & a man might (whether he would is another question) work away like a Trojan.
> The home life Charles Darwin was unlike that of most Victorian country gentleman. The most striking difference was seen in how he interacted with his children. […] Charles always took a keen interest in whatever they were doing.
and has many lovely quotes from his children like:
> He cared for all our pursuits and interests, and lived our lives with us in a way that very few fathers do. […] He always put his whole mind into answering any of our questions.
and the author of the page (David Leff) ends with:
> The manner in which Darwin related to his family was truly special. In fact, based on conversations I have had with other Darwin enthusiasts and with some of his descendants, it is safe to say that for Darwin his family life was far more important to him than his research into the natural sciences.
> Children are one’s greatest happiness, but often & often a still greater misery. A man of science ought to have none, — perhaps not a wife; for then there would be nothing in this wide world worth caring for & a man might (whether he would is another question) work away like a Trojan.
— https://www.themarginalian.org/2014/02/12/darwin-family-work...
Looks like Darwin really loved his wife and ten children. Indeed Wikipedia says “Charles was a devoted father and uncommonly attentive to his children” citing https://web.archive.org/web/20130723181529/http://www.aboutd... which says:
> The home life Charles Darwin was unlike that of most Victorian country gentleman. The most striking difference was seen in how he interacted with his children. […] Charles always took a keen interest in whatever they were doing.
and has many lovely quotes from his children like:
> He cared for all our pursuits and interests, and lived our lives with us in a way that very few fathers do. […] He always put his whole mind into answering any of our questions.
and the author of the page (David Leff) ends with:
> The manner in which Darwin related to his family was truly special. In fact, based on conversations I have had with other Darwin enthusiasts and with some of his descendants, it is safe to say that for Darwin his family life was far more important to him than his research into the natural sciences.