The vast majority of parents expect their children to grow up to be healthy, happy, and productive members of society.    31    If we don’t give parenting everything we’ve got, our kids will wind up unemployed, living in our basements, and there will be no one to blame but ourselves. That’s what I like to call the “perfect parent myth”. 

The standards of perfection for parents these days are extremely high. Perfect parenting expectations begin with a drug free natural birth. Once our young are born we must breastfeed each baby for years. If we can’t breasted, we must at least feed on demand.    32    Let’s also not forget to organize our children’s days so they are engaged in educational pursuits in case they fall behind the curve (弯道). We must be involved in every aspect of our children’s schools. There is no free time for the perfect parent.    33    

These standards are unreasonable. They’re also crazy. Parents can’t be perfect. Why? Because we’re human and so are our children.    34    They are predictable and when they are unruly we can shut them down. Parenting is nothing like that. 

   35    But, by the parent being less than perfect, the child will need to adapt and develop skills to overcome little disappointments. There is flexibility and room for real-life mistakes and limitations to our parenting abilities.

A. We must make our own baby food.

B. They are pushing themselves too far.

C. Robots would be much easier to parent.

D. There is only unlimited devotion to our children.

E. A good enough parent meets the needs of their children.

F. Parents have no enough time to live up to these high standards.

G. To meet those goals, parents are told that they must spare no effort.