While most of the parents responding to the poll were moms with children between three and eight years old, we also heard from dads and parents of toddlers and teens. Here's what you told us:
Results of the Poll
1. Do you spend enough time with your kids?
| No | 53% |
| Yes | 47% |
2. When do you spend more time with your children?
| Weekends | 72% |
| Weekdays | 28% |
3. What activities do you and your kids do together?
| Eating meals | 93% |
| Shopping | 76% |
| Watching television | 74% |
| Doing homework | 69% |
| Cooking | 60% |
| Commuting | 38% |
| Surfing the Internet | 24% |
Other activities:
- Playing outside; going to the park
- Doing crafts
- Playing video and board games
- Helping with piano practice
- Gardening
- Reading together! One parent quite rightly took us to task for not listing reading among the listed options.
4. If you had more time, what would you and your kids do together?
| Go on field trips (zoos, museums) | 75% |
| Participate in sports or outdoor play | 51% |
| Read | 44% |
| Cook | 33% |
| Help with homework | 18% |
- I think that my biggest problem isn't that I'm not spending enough time with my kids, but rather that I am constantly multi-tasking (homework help while I pay bills).
- Working mom = lots of guilt. But I spend lots of quality time with the children because I enjoy it.
- My twins stared kindergarten this year. They are so tired by the time they get home that we do not have any quality time together. It is all about homework, eating, and rushing to school or to the bath so they can get enough sleep.
- I homeschool, so we get a lot of time together! On the weekends, I try to take a little time away from the kids.
- I find that many parents (read "mothers") stress far too much about the subject of time with kids. Too many children have absolutely no idea how to amuse themselves independently (without screens or organized activities).
- Even though I am a stay-at-home mom, there never seems to be enough hours in the day to do all the things that I need to get done and all the fun stuff I'd like to do with my kids.