As per an opinion piece written by the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and published in The New York Times, “becoming a parent can be understood as signing up for a lifetime of joy and worries.” Drawing upon a personal anecdote wherein his one-year-old daughter was discovered to have “a deep infection in her thigh that was dangerously close to the bone,” Murthy— in his New York Times Opinion Piece— describes how he and his wife, Alice, were “helpless and heartbroken” and got through the crisis only due to the “excellent medical care, understanding workplaces, and loved ones who showed up to remind them that they were not alone.” Depicting how the idea of parenthood— particularly for parents of children who are younger than eighteen— is a universally stressful experience, Murthy— in his New York Times Opinion Piece— states how “when he travels through America, all the parents that he encounters seem to have the same experience.” While these parents feel lucky to be raising kids, Murthy emphasizes how “they are often struggling in silence and alone.”
Analyzing modern-day parenthood along with the new stressors that it brings, Murthy—in his article— lists “omnipresent screens, a youth mental health crisis and a widespread fear of the future” as new concerns. Describing how the stress is felt more intensely by single parents, Murthy goes on to state how “single parents often report feeling lonelier than other adults” and supports his claim with a study conducted by Morning Consult under The Cigna Group. Recognizing the need for instant action, and explaining his rationale behind the issuance of a surgeon general’s advisory, Murthy— in his article— states how the decision to release this advisory comes from “a need to call attention to the stress and mental health concerns faced by parents and caregivers” combined with an urgent need to “lay out what can be done to address them.”
In the foreword of the advisory that is published on the official website of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, Murthy describes “parenthood as one of the best— and hardest— jobs” and backs this claim up with the personal experience of how “being the dad is the toughest and most rewarding job that he has had.” Indicating the paradoxical nature of the joys that come with being a parent, Murthy— in the advisory foreword— states how “the faces of new parents radiate love for their babies through their sleep deprivation.” Exploring what has been labeled as “a snapshot of parental stressors,” the advisory goes on to describe “financial strain, economic instability and poverty” as significant contributors to this parental stress.
Even though I am not going to enter parenthood anytime soon, as a twenty-year-old college student, I feel the fiery tendrils of this worry gripping my ankles. As I chart out possible career options, I find myself looking up salaries instead of job descriptions. Alongside my close-eyed visualization of a successful career, I also find myself tormented by silhouettes of a family— with an emphasis on two children. In today’s ever-inflating world, I recognize the need for partnered parenting and as an English Major, I am gripped with a sense of panic. What if— in this world of code and commerce— the poetry that I hold so close is not able to provide? What if— in this era of profit and loss— the literature that I love— ladles dollops of hope but misses out on food?
This led me to realize how it isn’t only present parenthood, but also the prospect of potential parenthood that is also equally petrifying. It is almost as though, in today’s fast-paced economic scenario, parenthood is an unavoidable generational disease with no known cure. Identifying the unique nature of this new problem, an article by USA Today, states, with immense precision, how this advisory— and the concerns that it brings to the table— are of a comparatively unique nature. In the list of conventional health hazards such as tobacco and alcohol that have been spotlighted by previous advisories, the article pointendly remarks how the act of nurturing and raising another life seems to be a new and equally dangerous addition.
