All of this rings true, but I would also add that there are still places in 2017 where the parenting culture hasn't devolved into a "success"-at -any-cost scenario. You don't necessarily need to go far afield to find these communities, but you are less likely to find them within the crucible of i.e. Silicon Valley or other similarly configured places.

A few factors which I think might give rise to these less "insane" environments:

- A community whose population is employed in a diverse set of occupations.

- A community with welcoming shared public outdoor spaces where unplanned joint activities can occur. This can be in an urban environment, no forest needed.

There will certainly be trade-offs with these places (maybe older school facilities, lower average SAT scores) but for some that might be worth a childhood and parenthood without the additional anxiety that the environment you describe creates.