19 minutes – how long working parents give their children

A new study is out confirming the obvious— parents who work outside the home do not get to spend enough time with their children. This study took place in Great Britian and found some interesting statistics. Of the time a parent has in a day, 19 minutes is devoted to the children. 16 more minutes are devoted to children as a secondary activity (such as grocery shopping).

Now tell me, is this the correct way to bring up the next generation? What we demonstrate to our children is what they will, in turn, teach to theirs. Some of the mothers in this survey get this. Twenty-six percent say that they would (in their ideal scenarios) be full time moms. Fifty percent say that they would want to be part-time workers.

You see, for a long time now we’ve told mothers that they have been sold short. That they are wasting their life away with the kids when they could be out in the workforce making money and living their own path. We set the standard of living high and dilute the workforce so that it requires people to have both working in order to “keep up with the Jonses.” Families spend more than they have, and find themselves believing that it’s best for the family to work outside the home.

What their finding now is that mothers aren’t Superwoman after all, and the kids are the ones that are getting the short end of the deal. You wonder why there is a disconnect and why parents are having rebellious children? Because parents are not able to spend the time with them that they used to.

We now have cookie-cutter children while they are little. They go to day care and are scheduled. They’re learning wrote information quicker, but they don’t have the same imagination. They are a different breed of child– one raised not by loving parents, but by the day care worker that (though she means well) has to dole out her time instead of being able to concentrate on that one child that would love to have undivided attention.

And what’s happening to the family? Mothers are actually hurting physically– they are getting less sleep as they try to balance a career, being a mom, and domestic duties. Fathers are doing more domestic duties as well (which every father loves to do, I’m sure) and they work on average an hour longer than their counterparts.

Look at the impact that a mother working outside the home is having on the family. Look inside the family and realize how rewarding bringing up your children as unique individuals makes you blessed. This really is the best option, and the best job a woman could have.