New Delhi, June 21 -- Parents today are perhaps more involved in their children's lives than any previous generation. They read extensively about parenting, consult experts early, think constantly about emotional development, and spend an enormous amount of time trying to prepare children for an increasingly competitive world. Yet despite all this involvement, many children today seem deeply anxious much earlier in life.

A fairly ordinary day for many urban children now begins early in the morning and moves from school to tuition classes, then to coaching, homework, structured extracurriculars, and carefully planned development activities. Even leisure is often expected to serve a purpose. Hobbies slowly become achievements under constru...