The extraordinary value of ordinary moments: Young children’s perspectives of quality family time

• In Event: Parent and Child Shared Time and Interactions

Abstract

Notions of what it means to be a ’good’ parent are closely associated with the time parents spend with their children, cultivating their children’s cognitive and emotional development. The pressure exerted by heightened expectations for parent success is compounded by the insufficient time parents report having to spend with their children (Milkie et al., 2019). To compensate for this time deficiency, many parents prioritize their engagement in culturally defined quality time with their children, with an eye to improving family relationships, child well-being, and proper development. Quality time is typically understood as segmented blocks of time set aside for focused time with children, often in the form of interactive or enriching activities. However, this approach to quality time is problematic for several reasons, not least of which that it ignores children’s conceptualizations of quality time (Christensen, 2002). Additionally, these notions of quality time exclude children’s own perspectives of their subjective well-being.

Studying young children’s daily time use, including what they consider quality time, supports a more nuanced examination of children’s well-being and the socio-cultural values that affect their development. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand how young children make meaning of their family time using intensive observations.

Six children (aged 3-5 years) from five families participated in the study. I visited each child and their family 7 to 8 times over the span of 2 to 3 weeks, with visits typically lasting 2 to 3 hours, resulting in 12 to 20 hours with each child. Findings reflect a total of over 80 hours of intensive observations staggered over three months during spring and summer of 2022. During visits, children participated in observations, drew pictures, and engaged in role-play based on prompts asking what the children liked best to do with their family members and why those experiences were special to them. I audio recorded our conversations and role-play episodes, and I took notes during observations. These were referenced when writing field notes at the end of the day. Data analysis was an iterative process occurring throughout the data collection phase and after data collection was complete. Data to be analyzed included field notes, drawings, and audio recordings. I relied on children’s interpretations during the analysis process, and findings draw from field notes, recordings, and my conversations with the children surrounding their drawings and interactions with family members.

Findings indicate children often experienced quality time as spontaneous moments of connection during mundane or ordinary family routines and interactions, which runs contrary to traditional concepts of quality family time. These moments were marked by established indicators of quality time such as joy, laughter, interest and engagement, affection, and love. I propose that these micro-moments of connection are the building blocks of quality experiences with family members. These findings challenge assumptions about the types of experiences parents think they need to provide for their young children in order to support their healthy development and well-being. This has implications for child well-being and parenting strategies regarding their children’s time use.

Author

• Rachel McGovern, Brigham Young University
  Presenting Author