Tracey Jackson: This didn't start out to be such a personal film. It started with one question: "Why are kids today so unhappy?" That was my original thesis question. Kids today have so much, yet they have the highest depression rate of any other generation and are taking more antidepressants than ever. The underlying problem is that Boomer parents are trying to be perfect, but in actuality have screwed up somewhere along the way. I read "The Price of Privilege," by Madeline Levine, and that inspired me.

Through the course of making this film, I came to the conclusion that issues of my mother and grandmother were seeping into my parenting -- and then it became more about how my relationship with my mother was affecting my relationship with my daughter, and so on. This revelation shined a great light on what was wrong with me and what I was showing my daughter. For instance, I realized that I constantly overindulged her -- and this was because I felt I'd been forced to grow up too fast, and this was compensation. What we have left over from our own childhood lays dormant, and then resurrects itself in the upbringing of our own children.

There was no point in making this film unless it was a personal story. I wrote fiction for 25 years and wanted to tell an honest story. You have to be brave to make a story like this, or else there is no point.

ml: What did this documentary teach you about yourself?

TJ: I learned a lot about parenting in general and, most importantly, how to admit mistakes, how to set boundaries, and then staying within boundaries. I could not have articulated it before if you asked me, but I know now that so many parents in my generation can't tolerate a child's unhappiness. And because they can't handle it, they will do anything to assuage it -- even if it's not to the benefit of their child.

Parents want to get their love. Kids say mean things like "I hate you" and "You are ruining my life," and parents are really moved by this -- and aren't moved in a way that is always productive. For example, if kids are going off to spring break -- which, by the way, I am totally against -- they feel they can't say no because the kid will be upset. I say, "So what!" But it took me a long time to get to this point.

My own participation in spoiling [my daughter] was a big lesson, and not living in denial -- on so many different levels. Parents today expect such perfectionism from their kids, which puts so much unneeded pressure on them. The bar is so high because parents begin to live through their kids. Parents want outsiders to view them as the perfect family, like a '50s sitcom, but no one is willing to reveal it's not perfect because then someone has to fix it. It's hard for people to admit that something is going wrong within a family because maybe the world will think they're less-than-perfect parents. The only way to fix flaws is to face them. It doesn't affect how much we love each other. If we face it, we can fix it.

ml: What do you want parents and teens to walk away with after watching this documentary?

TJ: I want people to realize that in any relationship -- spouse, kid, whatever -- it takes two to tango. Don't always ask, "What's wrong with you?" Also ask, "What's wrong with me?" Are you an enabler? Do you know about something and are not addressing it -- like drug use? I want parents to look at themselves, and it's a very uncomfortable exercise. It forces you to look at yourself and how you were raised and what you were like as a child. I want people to look at their lives and situations and realize what is working and what is not. Every day is a do-over.

Let your kid know when you screwed up. You get a lot of mileage with your kid when you do that. Having a "holier than thou" attitude really doesn't work. Learning to let go is important. The problems you face when your kids hit 14 are vastly different from those you face when they are small. How do you get that little person back? Well, that little person is gone and on the way to being an adult. How are you going to adjust to this new person who is becoming his or her own person? It's a complicated equation.

Constantly fixing things is not the answer. Kids need to learn to pick themselves back up. Otherwise, they don't gain a sense of confidence. Once kids have independence, they don't need the parents anymore, and parents feel unneeded. We want them to be safe, protected, healthy, have nice experiences and a good education, but you need to let them go and get through problems on their own.

ml: Ultimately, why do you think today's teens are so unhappy?

TJ: I think that a lot of teens get an unfair view of reality growing up. When you have everything given to you and everything is the best -- like the best diorama in the class, because Mommy or Daddy has done it for you -- you don't have the confidence you would have it you did it yourself, but you have all the acknowledgement of succeeding. That's how people end up feeling entitled. It's a huge problem. They feel entitled to a certain kind of achievement, but they don't know how it happened. Kids today never feel frustration -- and then they feel horrible once they feel it.

ml: Who taught you the biggest lesson during the making of the film?

TJ: The biggest lesson was not from one person, but came from sitting in the editing room, watching my behavior on film. In life, we never get to see that; when we are in the middle of a situation, we never see first-person what a tantrum or a fight looks like. When you are sitting there watching yourself, over and over again, it's very hard. Watching my behavior over a period of two years, that was the biggest learning curve I had. Having to face that, having to see what I looked like on a spectrum of emotions. I learned how to pick my fights. Not everyone gets the chance to do that.

Have a few "lucky ducks" on your hands? You can buy this documentary on Amazon.com. Be sure to check out the hour's worth of interviews with childcare experts -- and more -- on the DVD extras!