Jennifer Senior
Back in 1942, anthropologist Margaret Mead noticed something intriguing about America’s parents: The subject of child-rearing—so uncomplicated in other countries and settings—left them feeling anxious, unstrung and vulnerable to fads. More than 70 years later, parents are still grappling with these same feelings of uncertainty. In this talk, Jennifer Senior explores some of the unseen forces that are making parents so anxious, including the historic transformation of the child’s role; the liberating-yet-confusing introduction of personal choice; and dramatic changes to how we live and work. In so doing, she hopes to make parents see that their challenges, which they so often assume are of their own making, are in fact part of a much larger picture, and that they are by no means struggling alone. She also talks about what can be done to help think differently about raising children, examining the distinction between happiness and joy, and ultimately sheds light on why most parents still say that raising children is the most meaningful thing that they’ll ever do.
April 19, 2016 7:30 – 9:00 pm
Princeton Montessori School, 487 Cherry Valley Road, Princeton, NJ