Ask the Children: What America's Children Really Think About Working Parents

by Ellen Galinsky, Judy David

An look at how children feel about working parents asks the children themselves about their feelings, and includes valuable data, such as the difference in parenting styles between mothers and fathers. 25,000 first printing. Tour.

Genres: Parenting, Self Help

416 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1999

About the author

Ellen Galinsky, president and cofounder of the Families and Work Institute, helped establish the field of work and family life at Bank Street College of Education, where she was on the faculty for twenty-five years. At the institute, she continues to conduct seminal research on the changing workforce and changing family. Her more than forty books and reports include Ask the Children: The Breakthrough Study That Reveals How to Succeed at Work and Parenting and the now-classic The Six Stages of Parenthood. She has received numerous honorary degrees and awards, including the 2004 Distinguished Achievement Award from Vassar College. She served as the elected president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources in 2005. She holds a Master of Science degree in child development and education from Bank Street College of Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in child study from Vassar College. A popular keynote speaker, she was a presenter at the White House Conference on Child Care in 1997 and on Teenagers in 2000. She is featured regularly in the media, including appearances on Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains lots of statistics about (1) what children think about their parents' work and (2) what parents think that their children think about their work.

My main takeaways are that it's mostly ok with kids whether mothers work or stay home. As the author says, some women will always work because they want to or have to, and some women will always stay home because they can.

The bigger issue is HOW mothers and fathers navigate work and family... Are you tired and stressed out from work? Do you prioritize your work before your family?

I also found the "hang around" time and focus time concepts to be helpful. Quality time assumes that the experience will usually be positive, but that's too much of a burden for most people.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a new mom going back to work, this was the perfect read. Galinsky makes a strong case that the primary U.S. narrative of work vs. staying at home is unhelpful and completely inaccurate from the child's point-of-view. Instead, she focuses attention on things that do matter - how you spend time with your kid, how you manage your stress and what sort of support network to build.