KQED's Forum Parental Burnout is the Latest Public Health Crisis
Nov 25, 2024
Claire Cain Miller, a New York Times reporter specializing in gender and family issues, joins clinical psychologist Keith Sutton to delve into the escalating crisis of parental burnout. They discuss how the rise of intensive parenting has led to unprecedented stress. Miller highlights that working mothers invest as much time with their kids as stay-at-home moms did decades ago. Sutton emphasizes the mental health implications, especially amplified during the pandemic, prompting a call for systemic support and community connection to counteract this trend.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Parental Burnout Warning
- Parental burnout is a significant issue, so much so that the Surgeon General issued a warning, which is rare.
- Previous warnings addressed issues like cigarettes, AIDS, and mental health.
Intensive Parenting
- Intensive parenting is a modern trend where parents constantly enrich and cultivate their kids.
- They feel guilty when not engaging, leading to potential stress and burnout.
Time Spent with Kids
- Working mothers now spend as much time with kids as stay-at-home mothers did in the 1970s.
- Modern parents feel obligated to actively engage, unlike previous generations.