Mothers' and Young Children's Satisfaction of the Time They Spend Together

Abstract

Satisfaction with time spent together is an integral part of the overall satisfaction of any relationship. This study examines young school-aged children's and mothers' satisfaction with the time they spend together. While 906 mothers and 675 children (49.0% males) from seven schools in middle to high SES areas in a regional Queensland city participated in the study, just less than half (n = 319, 47.3%) of the children could be matched with their mother. In a classroom lesson administered by the teachers, children were asked if they were happy with the time they had together with their mum and dad or whether they would like more time. In a separate survey, mothers were asked how satisfied they were with the time they spend with their child. More mothers than children were satisfied with the time they have together. Children were more satisfied with the time they spent with their mother than their father. Significant relationships between mother's satisfaction and her employment status and her child's after-school care arrangements were found. More mothers were satisfied if they did not work full-time and were able to provide some hours of care for their child after school. There was a significant relationship between the children's behaviour scores and their after school care arrangements.