Name: For parents, happiness is a very high bar
Uploaded: 2014-04-15T14:59:16Z
Duration: 17 min 57 s
Description: The parenting section of the bookstore is overwhelming -- it's "a giant, candy-colored monument to our collective panic," as writer Jennifer Senior puts it. Why is parenthood filled with so much anxiety? Because the goal of modern, middle-class parents -- to raise happy children -- is so elusive. In this honest talk, Senior offers some kinder and more achievable aims.

The parenting section of the bookstore is overwhelming -- it's "a giant, candy-colored monument to our collective panic," as writer Jennifer Senior puts it. Why is parenthood filled with so much anxiety? Because the goal of modern, middle-class parents -- to raise happy children -- is so elusive. In this honest talk, Senior offers some kinder and more achievable aims.

Jennifer Senior: For parents, happiness is a very high bar

For parents, happiness is a very high bar

Modern parenting, fueled by a quest for child happiness, adds pressure, overshadowing practical aims like morality and productivity.

Parenting today struggles with new roles and lack of norms, leading to anxiety and an unrealistic burden on both parents and children.

Navigating child-rearing without norms, parents opt for an array of strategies, yet focusing on decency and work ethic may be key.