It’s time to wake up. Last month, the U.S. Surgeon General released a health advisory addressing parental mental health. More precisely, the rise in parental mental illness.
According to the country’s Health and Human Services website, “This Surgeon General’s recommendation addresses stress factors that affect the mental health and well-being of parents and caregivers, and the long-term well-being of parents and children. There is an urgent need to strengthen the important link between children and children and support for parents, carers and families.”
According to Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, these stressors include, but are not limited to:
it takes time
Parental isolation and loneliness
cultural pressure
We know the government’s usual approach to these issues. Tax-supported programs. As expected, Murthy, who was appointed by the Biden administration, endorsed this, saying:
“Supporting parents and caregivers requires a series of thoughtful policy changes, ensuring parents and caregivers have time off to spend time with their sick children, ensuring affordable child care, and providing reliable child care. It will require an expansion of community programs that enable people to access and benefit from health care from a variety of locations, including efforts to support social connections and communities.”
We’ve been hearing about expanding government programs (and taxes to cover them) for decades. As you can imagine, I’m ambivalent about increasing government programs.
But Marcy also says that when it comes to supporting parents, “we need to rethink our cultural norms around parenting.” I totally agree!
Few states are in greater need of the wisdom of this recommendation. According to Axis Integrated Mental Health, our state is in crisis. In 2023, Colorado ranked 30th compared to other states. Colorado’s overall mental health ranking has now dropped to 46th. The decline over the past year has been significant.
The decline for children is even more severe. Colorado once led the way in addressing youth mental illness with programs like IMatter.com, but its ranking has dropped from 21st to 44th. All in one year. last year.
Receive updates from editorial staff, guest columnists, and letters from Gazette readers. Sent to your inbox at 12pm.
success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.
Feminists condemn women (or men) for “staying at home with the kids” while online (and offline) communities make fun of “traditional” wives. Healthline.com, a health advice platform, says: Becoming a SAHM is often thought to be easy because you don’t have to clock in and out. ”
However, our Surgeon General pushed back against that view, stating: “The job of raising children is essential not only to the health of children but also to the health of society… Yet in modern society, raising children is often portrayed as something that is less important and less valued. A lot” tracking. Nothing could be further from the truth. ”
Marcy continues to speak out about the changing culture around parenting. “The work of raising children is work, and it’s just as valuable as the work done in paid employment.”
I’m not advocating stay-at-home moms (or dads), but it’s interesting to note that in the 1970s, nearly half of American households were run by stay-at-home moms. It’s no coincidence that our numbers of mental illnesses were much lower back then.
Were the cultural parenting norms that we call “traditional” within our families actually just a different set of time priorities, perhaps due to a more favorable economic climate decades ago? , it could have created space for parents to do things with their children.
According to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey, the average American parent spends about two to three hours a day caring for and helping children at home; spends slightly more time than fathers. This includes key childcare activities such as feeding, bathing, and reading to your child. Is it about 2 to 3 hours? It seems that there is a need to return to some traditional family norms. Let’s just call it giving space.
Can I spend more time with my children?
We don’t know how that cultural shift will manifest in policy. I know that consistently valuing the time and role needed to effectively parent can give parents higher self-esteem. Make it a habit to encourage your parents both inside and outside the home.
We must speak out in society that raising children at home is just as important as paid work. This increases parental respect and is desperately needed in the stressful economic environment of 2024.
It seems better to match the shifts.
Rachel Stovall is an event manager, entertainer, and community advocate.
Rachel Stovall is an event manager, entertainer, and community advocate.
