Quality time in early childhood: Eliciting young children's perspectives

ABSTRACT Objective This study employed developmentally sensitive ethnographic techniques to elicit young children's perspectives of their quality time experiences in family contexts. Background Intensive parenting ideology and social constructions of “good parenting” prioritize culturally defined quality time in which parents focus on cultivating children's cognitive and emotional development and improving family parent–child relations. However, young children's perspectives have been overlooked in research examining their time use, thus constraining assessment of their subjective well‐being. Method Six children (ages 3–5 years) from five families participated in more than 80 hours of intensive family observations staggered over a 3‐month period. Data‐gathering techniques also included informal conversations, role‐play, and drawing. Results Quality time for the children frequently occurred as spontaneous moments of connection during mundane or ordinary experiences. Additionally, quality time in family contexts arose from interactions with nonparent family members, such as siblings and grandparents, and interaction with a family member was not a requirement for quality time to exist. Conclusion Findings challenge predominant assumptions about what it means to be a “good” parent by providing a new perspective of quality time informed by young children's experiences. Implications Reframing quality time as requiring fewer resources (i.e., time, energy, money) may reduce the pressure or guilt some parents' feel over a lack of time with their young children. Additionally, by understanding what constitutes quality time for young children, parents and caregivers, educators, and policymakers become more aware of young children's priorities and the experiences that contribute to their subjective well‐being.