EDITORIAL: The crisis too few are talking about

Who protects the protectors?

Who provides the support — mental, emotional, physical — to the people who spend much of their lives supporting others?

Who sees the crisis brewing in our midst, dangerous fissures forming in the bedrock of a well-functioning society?

Who cares?

These are questions addressed by the nation’s top health official, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, in his eye-opening new Surgeon General Advisory: Parents Under Pressure.

Yes, parents — those legions of superheroes whose powers may seem limitless to their children but are in fact running low.

Trying to nurture children in these times of screen dominance and social media madness isn’t just challenging to the point of sometimes being life-threatening to the kids; it’s enough to push millions of American parents into the mental health danger zone.

Dr. Murthy's most urgent message: Parents in general and single parents in particular need more support. Lots more.

According to national health data:

• In the past year, one in four parents said they didn’t have enough money to cover basic needs.

• 48% of parents say that most days their stress is completely overwhelming. That compares with 26% among other adults.

• Nearly 70% of parents say parenting now is more difficult than it was 20 years ago.

“They are navigating traditional hardships of parenting — worrying about money and safety, struggling to get enough sleep — as well as new stressors, including omnipresent screens, a youth mental health crisis and widespread fear about the future,” Dr. Murthy writes.

He adds:

“All of this is compounded by an intensifying culture of comparison, often amplified online, that promotes unrealistic expectations of what parents must do. Chasing these expectations while trying to wade through an endless stream of parenting advice has left many families feeling exhausted, burned out and perpetually behind.”

Acknowledging that there’s a profound parenting problem in our country is the first step. The next, a much bigger one, is what to do about it — and who, exactly, will do what?

Yes, voting for candidates willing to tackle actual societal problems rather than obsessing on culture war issues is important. But we can’t leave everything up to elected officials. 

Little things can loom large. 

In an opinion piece penned by Dr. Murthy, he recalls the time he and his wife were struggling mightily to get any sleep when their son was 4 months old. A friend stopped by and played with the boy for a little while, giving his parents a break. It was a breather the Murthys desperately needed and, to this day, appreciate.

On Friday, we’ll look at other ways to help put parents back on healthy pedestals.