To think quality over quantity is not true?

[NoisySnail]

As parents we are told that what matters is the quality of the time we spend with our children, not how much time we spend with them. AIBU to think this is not true?
It is better to spend an hour a day with your DC playing with them, than 10 hours ignoring them and telling to leave you the fuck alone. But generally, it is better to spend more time with your children.

I think it's both.

You could spend hours having fun in the park and then bring in a nanny for the difficult bits of getting them up and out in the morning and bedtime in the evening, and then a night nanny for the overnights.

It's not just about playing, it's about doing the hard yards and the giving out and the instilling your values of choice. That's a quality rather than quantity thing imo.

It's what you do and how you do it. Me and my kids spend evenings just watching tv, eating together and they could be playing and I could just be tidying in the kitchen or sat down unwinding from a days work. But it's the fact I'm there and they see me and can speak to me and we can cuddle and laugh which means most to them.

YANBU. What does 'quality time' even mean? You don't have to be doing anything special with your children to make it worthwhile spending time with them. Just normal 'hanging around the house together' time is valuable.

The idea that you can squeeze the entirety of a parenting experience into an hour is ludicrous. Do people really believe that’s all they need to contribute?

It could mean less time glued to screens while hanging around the house though.

@ColleenDonaghy I agree it is about doing the parts that teach children expectations and values and not just about playing.

With very young children, I think it makes them feel safe when their parents are around. Even if you're just making dinner and they're playing. With teenagers, I think quality matters more than quantity.

It’s very simplistic. I mean you could say the Disney Dad approach is an example of quality time.

Agree it’s too simplistic. I work full time and my DS is in nursery 3 days, with his dad 1 day and with grandparents 1 day. I often only see him for a couple of hours in a morning and evening during the week. But we play, read and chat as well as getting ready for the day or for bed. It’s not as much time is a SAHP or part time worker would spend with their kid on a daily basis, but it’s quality time.

I always love the way it’s presented as a choice. Very few of us can freely choose how much time we spend with our children