Always this guilty conscience … Mothers are unbeatable when it comes to self-doubt. This is not necessary at all. First of all, parents never spent as much time with their children as they do now, and secondly, the following applies anyway: sometimes less is more.
It sounds crazy and unbelievable, but it's true: We, the working mums, the all-tempters, the self-tears, we are never satisfied with ourselves, we spend more time with our children than ever a generation before. To be precise, women nowadays spend twice as much time with their children as mothers in the 70s. Fathers spend three times as much time in playgrounds, at the changing table and on the floor in front of Playmobil locks as their fathers. This is what an American study says. Why does it feel the other way around? Because we only saved that we never lacked time with our parents. This is why we believe our parents were around us all the time. But that's not true, children just don't need as much time with their parents as we believe.
Quality over quantity
Quite apart from the fact that we already do a lot with our children anyway, according to the study, time is not at all the decisive factor for children to grow up healthily. According to the study, the amount of time parents spent with their children between the ages of 3 and 11 has hardly any influence on the behavior, emotional well-being and school career of the offspring. HOW we spend time with our children, however, is very important.
Relaxed parents have relaxed children
Kei Nomaguchi, a sociologist at Bowling Green State University who was involved in the study, told the Washington Post that parenting time can be harmful to children. "Especially when mothers are stressed by juggling work and family time, it can have a bad effect on the children." We always suspected it … So book an extra hour in the day care center and then start relaxing time together instead of letting yourself be stressed by a bad conscience? Doesn't sound too bad at all. Renowned educators and family counselors share this opinion. "Relaxed parents have relaxed children," says family therapist and author Mathias Voelchert. "Sometimes 30 percent less care would be good for everyone involved." The sentence alone makes you more relaxed, doesn't it?