Survey Finds Parents Only Get 10% Of Their Week To Themselves — And Most Say They Wouldn't Change It
Time is at an absolute premium, and most parents wouldn't have it any other way.
filadendron | Getty Images Signature | Canva Pro Whether they work a regular job or are a stay-at-home parent, anyone with kids will tell you that time is at an absolute premium, and actual free time? To yourself? LOL, what the heck is that?!
Child-rearing eats up nearly every minute of the day you're not sleeping, at least when the kids are little. And a recent survey found just how dire this lack of time is for parents. But what's even more surprising is how parents seem to feel about how time-strapped they are.
Parents get just 10% of the week to themselves, but most say they wouldn't change it.
The survey, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of preschool chain Primrose Schools, asked 2000 US parents of kids under the age of 5 about the ways their time ends up getting used each week, and what the survey revealed puts the parenting time-crunch into pretty stark perspective.
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They found that the average U.S. parent gets just 18 hours a week for themselves, about two-and-a-half hours per day. Parents said that about 47% of their week is taken up by professional and personal tasks, while 42% is spent keeping their child entertained, engaged, and educated.
That's a pretty breakneck pace, and if you're an introvert like me who needs your alone time to feel, like, sane, you're probably screaming in terror. But the parents surveyed seem to feel very differently, with most saying they wouldn't change it.
Many parents said they would actually give up more time if it allowed their child to pursue their interests.
As time-poor as parents seem to be, the overwhelming majority told Talker that it's worth it to them for their child to be able to explore, learn, and grow into the things that interest them and keep them engaged.
But not only that, a staggering 92% said it would actually be worth it to them to give up more free time if it meant it would enhance their child's growth and allow them to delve deeper into what lights them up.
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It's a pretty striking change from how most of us grew up, in an era where parents seem to have been far less involved in their kids' minutiae, or might not have been involved at all, really, if you were raised by the kind of parents who sent you out the door to run feral all day!
Today's parents are far more heavily invested in their kids' growth, it seems: 96% told Talker they actively encourage their kids to explore whatever interests them, no matter how off-the-beaten track they might be.
For instance, one parent reported their child was kind of obsessed with vacuum cleaners. "Not just playing with [vacuums], but learning how they work, watching videos about different models, and even pretending to review them like a product tester," the parent said. "It was unexpected, but it showed curiosity, attention to detail." Future product engineer, perhaps?
Even if the time crunch is worth it, most parents said they wish they had more help.
It's easy to get the impression that everything's hunky-dory here, but saying it's "worth it" to be this time-poor is different from saying it's easy or enjoyable. And accordingly, a large proportion of parents, 62%, said they wished they had more help in keeping their kids engaged and helping them explore their interests.
This is part of what's behind the educational trend toward so-called "interest-based curricula" in schools, especially preschools. These educational formats take their cues from what kids are interested in, whether it's music, art, or, well, vacuums, and use them as the launchpad for teaching new skills.
This allows teachers to leverage the parts of kids' brains related to reward, memory, and motivation. As Primrose Schools chief early learning strategy officer, Dr. Amy Johnson explains, "Every child’s curiosity is a window into how they learn best," and focusing on their unique interests also supports their social-emotional skills, in part by building confidence.
It helps parents too: 31% of respondents said these curricula help ease the time crunch of keeping their kids engaged, with parents estimating they save them an average of 51 hours a week. Plus, 79% said they had learned new things from facilitating their kids' unique interests, too, and maybe even saved money on their vacuum repair bills to boot in that one parent's case. It's a win-win!
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
