num_pages: 176
description: If parenting is making Americans unhappy if its impossible to have it all if people dont have the economic social or political structures needed to support child rearing then why do it? And why are anxious new parents flocking to every Tiger Mother and Bb-raiser for advice on how to raise kids? In Why Have Kids? Valenti explores these controversial questions through on-the-ground reporting startling new research and her own unique experiences as a mom. She moves beyond the black and white mommy wars over natural parenting discipline and work-life balance to explore a more nuanced reality: one filled with ambivalence joy guilt and exhaustion. Would-be parents must navigate the decision to have children amidst a daunting combination of cultural expectations and hard facts. And new parents find themselves struggling to reconcile their elation with the often exhausting confusing and expensive business of child care. When researchers for a 2010 Pew study asked parents why they decided to have their first child nearly 90 percent answered for the joy of having children. Yet nearly every study in the last ten years shows a marked decline in the life satisfaction of those with kids. Valenti explores this disconnect between parents hopes and the day-to-day reality of raising childrenrevealing all the ways mothers and fathers are quietly struggling. A must-read for parents as well as those considering starting a family Why Have Kids? is an explosive addition to the conversation about modern parenthood.
language: English
title: Why Have Kids?: A New Mom Explores the Truth About Parenting and Happiness
publisher: New Harvest