Study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development – an organisation that helps governments tackle challenges – shows that mothers in Britain who work outside the home spend on average one hour 21 minutes a day looking after their families – including meal times; and that stay-at-home mothers manage almost twice as much time directly caring for their children, with 2 hours 35 minutes dedicated to activities like meals, bathtime and playing games. Click here for more on this.
It might sound strange that stay-at-home mothers manager only one hour more with their children than those working outside the home, but…
…perhaps preparing a meal while children are engaged in another room was not included. Did preparing a meal and encouraging piano practice count?
When is ‘together’ being ‘together’? And do youngsters really want parents breathing down their necks every minute of the day – isn’t it healthy for mum or dad to just ‘be there’ on the same premises while they play quietly alone? We observe them – but, most importantly, they also observe us (role modelling) and see how we are spending our time while running the home – ie, there may not be any active interaction, but ‘learning’ is still happening, even when Dad is ironing, or Mum is doing the household accounts – in other words useful stuff that needs to be done to run a happy home.
Even an adult relaxing and reading a book for pleasure is good for children to see in their parents, so they learn this is a ‘good’ way to spend time - good for mental health and wellbeing - rather than rushing around looking stressed.
