Parenting: Sacrifice or Ethical Duty?

In this 2026 independent work, Mayank Singh challenges the cultural glorification of the "self-sacrificing parent". He posits that because the decision to reproduce is a voluntary choice made by adults, the resulting responsibilities should be viewed as ethical duties rather than heroic sacrifices. The article explores how the language of sacrifice can transform a relationship of care into one of "emotional accounting," where a child’s autonomy is eventually viewed as ingratitude or a "rejection of sacrifice".