When I first read the title of the thread:
What do you want for your children?
My first reaction was: I'd take a new F250 4 x 4 tyvm or $25,000.00 in cash.
The thing about only wanting your kids to "be happy", that's kind of a inane answer. Kind of like those personal ads where women post "they love to laugh". I mean, is there anyone out there who wants them to be UNhappy? I mean, if that's all you want for them, simply get them a lifelong supply of uppers and then they'd be happy all the time.
If I had kids I'd be more prone to say I'd want them to have a good life. One where they strive to better themselves, to choose a career that will satisfy them, to build a life that they can be proud of.
I think too many people these days are so caught up in "living for today" and all those songs out there promoting "live like today's your last day" is what is causing so many problems in our society. That's all fine and dandy if today IS actually your last day but the problem is, it isn't. You wake up the next day broke, drugged out, hooked on meth, lying in a pool of your own vomit and think "ok, now what"? Do it all again?
Now I lived a LOT of my life without worrying too much about the future and if I had, I wouldn't be working construction at my age. In fact, if I had paid a little more attention to wtf I was doing I probably wouldn't even HAVE to work now.
So, with all that being said, I'd say "enjoy your life but plan for the future, you never know what it may hold for you".