Raising children has never been easy, but parents today face fresh challenges. And the stakes could not be higher, as reflected in the rising rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts among both children and teens over the past 20 years.

The collision between technology, rapidly changing cultural norms, and child-rearing has created a complex array of problems that parents must navigate.

Added to these pressures are the unrealistically high expectations attached to parenting. Mothers and fathers are expected to be closely involved in nearly all aspects of their child’s life. This includes attending every athletic event, making homemade/organically grown meals, keeping children occupied with state-of-the-art toys that are both educational and engaging, monitoring their child’s every emotional shift, and encouraging academic excellence from the earliest grades, but teaching them that their self-esteem is independent of achievement.

All of these concerns must be pursued cheerfully while being ever mindful to keep a healthy work/home life balance, maintain a strong marriage, continue to advance at work, and, just for good measure, get to the gym several times a week.

Within this dizzying kaleidoscope of pressures, it is easy to lose sight of parenting’s main goal: to prepare children to succeed in adulthood. Although what it means to succeed as an adult has many nuances, most would agree........

© Psychology Today