why be a parent

ouch. the truth hurts.

“Affluent and well-educated Americans, by which I mean roughly the upper 20 percent of the socioeconomic strata, are instead narrowly concentrating on ensuring that their children retain their privileges. I think this tendency first became apparent to me in the 1990s, when “soccer moms” began to drive around in huge SUVs that were more like tanks than cars. The message that could have been on a bumper sticker was, “No matter what happens, my kids will be safe, even while yours might be toast.””

…

“Suppose the upper-middle class and the lower layer of the rich didn’t have children. How would they behave?”

– Why Be a Parent? (nybooks)