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The Crisis of Modern Parenthood: the pursuit of a child's happiness is causing parental anguish

2 min read

crisis in parenthood - a TEDTalk video by Jennifer Senior "A child's happiness is a very unfair burden to place on a parent, and happiness is an even more unfair burden to place on a child," says Jennifer Senior. Do you agree?

"Something about parenting right now, at the moment, is the problem," observes Jennifer Senior, award-winning journalist and author of the new book, All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood. 

During her TEDTalks presentation filmed last March 2014, Senior explains why today's "mothers and fathers experience parenthood as a kind of crisis." She points out the root cause of parental anguish -- and it happens to be the universal mantra all parents agree on: "All I want is for my children to be happy."

Senior stresses that happiness as a goal is an elusive one, even warning audiences that a "child's happiness is a very unfair burden to place on a parent, and [...] an even more unfair burden to place on a child."

Do you agree with Senior? Watch her TEDTalks video below as she explains how happiness, while well-intentioned, has created a crisis in parenthood and lists achievable, less frustrating goals that parents can aim for instead to raise their kids well.

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If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding Jennifer Senior's views on modern parenthood, please share them in our Comments box below.

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Written by

Carla Casanova-Perlas

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