U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has issued a few odd, communist-like health advisories over the last few years: The dangers of misinformation, sex education for kindergarteners, adding a warning to social media sites, and the need for gun control, just to name a few.
But his latest healthcare advisory really takes the cake:
Becoming a parent is dangerous for your mental health! Having kids is stressful!
33% of parents report high levels of stress in the past month compared to 20% of other adults.
48% of parents say that most days their stress is completely overwhelming compared to 26% among other adults.
Parental stressors include:
Financial strain, economic instability, and poverty
Time demands
Children's health
Children's safety
Parental isolation and loneliness
Technology and social media
Cultural pressures and children's futures
All these things are stressful, but he seems to be leaving out the major stressor that parents are facing today.
The government.
Because nothing reduces health, mental health, or lifespan more than an authoritarian government.
But Surgeon General Murthy recommends more of it as a solution.
Policymakers should bolster support for child care financial assistance programs such as child care subsidies and child income tax credits; universal preschool; early childhood education programs such as Early Head Start and Head Start; programs that help nurture healthy family dynamics such as early childhood home visiting programs.
Still waiting on subsidies for stay-at-home moms and grandparents who watch the kiddos!
Not all of his suggestions are awful. He argues for installing parks for kids to play at and parents to socialize in.
We love taking our kids to parks.
But thanks to the current government, over the last four years, they have filled up with homeless people, illegal immigrants, and pedophiles.
The surgeon general left one thing out, however:
Parents are generally healthier and live longer than childless people.
A 2023 study of 276,000 people showed that having two kids increased men's and women's lifespan by about five years (you also have the benefit of passing on your family legacy for eons to come).
'One thing that is relatively clear is that having children is more beneficial to longevity than not having children at all,' research author Jianzhi Zhang said.
Studies as far back as the 1950s have shown that outcome consistently.
Not all stress is bad for you.
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