The purpose of parenting is one of those things that we all think we know, so we don't think about it, so we end up with a vague idea of it.

The purpose of parenting used to be to add a new human to the tribe so that our species may live on. Our species has been so successful that we have inherited a world that is dominated by our kind. This would be the perfect situation, a paradise, if only it weren't for widespread psychological suffering. The purpose of parenting, then, in my view, is to add someone to society who contributes to the decrease of widespread psychological suffering, and who certainly does not add to it. This means raising children who are truly happy and who share it with others, which requires the same of the parent.

TBC