The Secret to Parenting: Do Less of It

The Secret to Parenting: Do Less of It“The amount of time parents spend with kids went vertical in the late 1990s, and there has been no relief since,” write Camilo Ortiz and Julia Martin Burch. (Illustration by The Free Press; images via Getty)Conventional wisdom is that child-rearing is stressful, all-consuming, and emotionally taxing. That’s nonsense.No description available.--:----:--Upgrade to ListenProduced by ElevenLabs using AI narration305429Parenting has become the most stressful verb in the English language.Over the past three decades, the act of raising children to adulthood—the oldest work in the world—has transformed. The amount of time parents spend with kids went vertical in the late 1990s, and there has been no relief since—so much so that a 2023 survey by the American Psychological Association found that 41 percent of parents say that most days they are so stressed they cannot function. That’s about twice the percentage of adults without children.Theories abound as to why. These range from plummeting birth rates (fewer kids to soak up all that adult attention) to greater economic uncertainty (parents are more likely to adopt intensive styles when the stakes of success are so high) to increased fears for children’s physical safety (a 2025 Harris poll found that an astounding 50 percent of parents thought that two 10-year-olds playing alone in a park were likely to be kidnapped).Subscribe to Unlock This StorySupport fearless journalism and unlock all of The Free Press—your first week is on us.Annual$8.33/monthBilled as $100 yearlyMonthly$10/monthBilled as $10 monthlyAlready have an account?Sign InCommentsNo posts