Time Parents Quality Children Spend Family Play Spending

In most American families, both parents have to work. This "limits" (restricts) the number of hours they can spend with their children, so they focus on the "quality" (how good something is) instead of "quantity" (how much of something there is) of the time spent together. Quality time is time when the child is the main or only focus of the parent's attention. Watching television with a child isn't an example of quality time, because the parent is mostly watching TV. Helping a child plant a flower is an example of quality time.

Some parents try to spend quality time with their children by having dinner together each evening, making sure the TV is turned off. While eating, they use their time to talk about what each person did during the day. Other parents try to play card games or "board games" (games played at a table with small pieces and maybe dice) with their children in the evening. Telling stories or reading books together is another way Americans spend quality time with children.

Outside of the home, parents try to spend quality time with their children by taking them to the park, library, zoo, or a museum. They might try to play a sport together or ride bicycles together.

Normally sitting in the car wouldn't be "considered" (thought of as) quality time, but some parents are very good at "engaging" (getting someone involved) their children in conversation while driving. They might play word games or sing silly songs while in the car on the way to and from school. All these things are common ways American parents try to show the children that their parents are interested in them and love them.