Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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Parenting in America Today
Parents’ approaches to how they are raising their kids compared with how they were raised vary by income
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- Parenting in America Today
- Mental health tops the list of parental concerns
- Parents prioritize financial stability, job satisfaction for their children when they reach adulthood
- Most parents say parenting is harder than they expected, but give themselves high marks for the job they’re doing
- More than four-in-ten parents describe themselves as overprotective
- Comparable shares are raising their kids similarly to vs. differently from their own upbringing
- About half of married, cohabiting parents feel judged by their spouse or partner at least sometimes
- Most parents say parenting is rewarding and enjoyable, but some also find it tiring and stressful
- Fewer than half of parents place a lot of importance on their children sharing their religious and political beliefs
- Mothers are more likely than fathers to say they are overprotective and give in too quickly
- About a third of moms say being a parent is the most important aspect of who they are
- Mothers are more likely than fathers to say being a parent is tiring and stressful all or most of the time
- Mothers are more likely than fathers to say they feel judged for how they parent, except when it comes to judgment from a spouse or partner
- Dads tend to be less worried than moms about their children facing certain hardships
- About half of moms say it’s extremely important their children be accepting of people different from them as adults
- Mothers and fathers have different views of who does more when it comes to many child care tasks
- Parental worries vary widely by income
- Middle-income parents are less likely than others to place importance on their children earning a college degree
- About four-in-ten lower-income parents say being a parent is the most important aspect of who they are
- Parents’ approaches to how they are raising their kids compared with how they were raised vary by income
- Lower-income parents are the most likely to see parenting as always enjoyable, rewarding