Opinion Today: A fight to make parenting way less stressful

The surgeon general calls for a new approach to an old problem.

View in browser|nytimes.com August 29, 2024 By Ariel Kaminer Ms. Kaminer is an Opinion editor. Sometimes guest essays address astounding revelations, like astonishing scientific breakthroughs and unforeseen political upheavals. But the essay we're highlighting today involves a fact so well established that it's almost axiomatic: Parenting is stressful. In one recent study, 48 percent of parents described their stress level on most days as completely overwhelming. In a clarion call for action, Dr. Vivek Murthy, the surgeon general, argues that parental stress isn't just something to commiserate about or muddle through. As many parents are stretched thinner than ever, the familiar sensation has become an urgent public health crisis. "Parents who feel pushed to the brink deserve more than platitudes," he writes. "They need tangible support. That's why I am issuing a surgeon general's advisory to call attention to the stress and mental health concerns facing parents and caregivers and to lay out what we can do to address them." That includes "policies, programs and individual actions designed to make this vital work easier." It also involves "fundamentally shifting how we value parenting." Dr. Murthy — who has also written for Opinion about social media and loneliness — speaks not only as a public servant but also as a parent. His account of the terror and isolation he has sometimes felt, as well as his occasional self-doubt and shame, will resonate with anyone who has ever signed on for the crazy, exhausting, exhilarating enterprise of raising children. Read the guest essay: Charlotte Ager Guest Essay Surgeon General: Parents Are at Their Wits' End. We Can Do Better. Raising children is crucial work. Why don't we treat it that way? By Vivek H. 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