What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood

Is Parental Stress Getting Worse?

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Episode notes

In September 2024 the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, issued an Advisory on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Parents. In it, he declares the mental health and well-being of parents an urgent public health issue.

In this episode we discuss the revealing research included in this report, stating that parents consistently report higher levels of stress compared to other adults. 

But is parenting really more stressful than ever? This advisory certainly highlights many reasons why it just might be: the increasing costs of childcare and housing, the increasing hours parents spend at work, the increasing anxiety around guns and our kids’ safety at school, and the unrealistic expectations created by what the report calls a “culture of comparison.” 

We think making a change requires more than parents looking on the bright side—we need societal changes and better support systems like paid family leave. We can also all do more to foster a culture that values and supports parents, ensuring their well-being and the positive development of future generations. We’d like to think this podcast and this community are part of that culture. Let’s keep fighting for the support, and the respect, that all parents deserve.

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

• Jeremy Engle for the New York Times: Are Parents Stressed Out?
• Claire Cain Miller for the New York Times: Today’s Parents: ‘Exhausted, Burned Out and Perpetually Behind’
• Department of HHS on YouTube: The Surgeon General's Advisory on Parent's Mental Health
• House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy: "Parents Are Under Pressure—And We Can All Help"
• Department of Health and Human Services: U.S. Surgeon General Issues Advisory on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Parents

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