The Family and Free Time - Do Kids Get Enough Time With Their Parents?

One recent study claims that children are spending more time with their parents than they did two decades ago.

The study, by the University of Michigan, found that children between the ages of 3 and 12 in two-parent families spent 25 hours with their mothers in 1981 and about 31 hours a week with their mothers in 1997. They spent more time with their fathers as well: mean weekly hours increased from about 19 to 23 hours a week.³

Unsurprisingly, children spent the most time with stay-at-home moms. But even when mother is working, the time difference is smaller than some might expect: 3.5 hours in 1981 and 5.5 hours in 1997.

What's going on here? One reason is that couples are having smaller families; the typical woman will have about two children during her childbearing years (down from the three she would have had in the 1930s, according to the source). A smaller family means that children have a better opportunity to spend time with their parents.

Of course, there are many children out there in need of more attention from their parents. But is it possible that some trends are reversing? Are kids getting "quantity" and "quality" time? Pro-family messages have been all over talk shows and Washington D.C. Men have seen their roles as fathers dramatically redefined: they are encouraged to be more nurturing and to take active roles in their children's lives. The percentage of working mothers has declined for the first time, from 59% in 1998 to 55% in 2000.

Source: "Children Spend More Time With Parents Than They Used To." Online. Available: http://www.umich.edu. November 16, 2001.