The surgeon general has a new public health warning. And this time, the hazard isn’t tobacco or alcohol: it’s parenting.
Two-fifths of parents say that on most days, “they are so stressed they cannot function,” the Office of the Surgeon General reports in an advisory titled Parents Under Pressure. Roughly half of parents term that stress “completely overwhelming.”
Those dire findings anchor a 35-page report, released in late August, that posits parental stress as “an urgent public health issue.” It draws on data from the American Psychological Association and other sources to build a case that parents are facing more stress than at perhaps any other time in recent history.
One-third of parents with children under 18 rate their stress level as 8 or higher on a 10-point scale, according to psychological association data. Two-fifths of parents report being “so stressed they feel numb.” Three-fifths say stress makes it hard to focus. Two-thirds are consumed by money woes.
60 years ago:
Parent 1: I will work, make enough money for us to live well, buy a house, and retire while also supporting our children through adulthood.
Parent 2: I will raise them, take care of the house and we will both enjoy some time together when the nanny helps.
Now:
Parent 1: I will work and make enough money for us to pay rent and buy food. I will also take care of the kids, and stay in when you are sick or working.
Parent 2: I will also work and make enough money for us to pay for the kids education and basic needs. I will also take care of the kids and stay in when you are sick ir working.
60 years ago it was nice because you were a family first and still had money to live well.
Now these parents are workers first and still will be utterly screwed if an unexpected bill pops up (like a medical bill for those in the US or even a car breaking down)
It's not that being a parent sucks, is that parents (especially for young children and babies) need to be parents first, and today's society is worker first, if you are lucky you can have a second title, for most that title is either "exhausted person" or a second job.