Which would have a more positive impact on your family’s future, an extra $10,000 each year or an extra hour of quality time every day with your kids?
The question was posed to more than 2,000 parents across the county via a survey conducted by Parents magazine and the Center for the Next Generation, and the results may surprise you.
According to the poll, two-thirds of parents would rather have the extra cash than time with their kids.
Chock it up to hard economic times and financial uncertainty.
“Parents have some very, very serious concerns about providing for their families,” said Mark McKinnon, who oversaw the survey.
McKinnon told the Washington Post that the country’s slow recovery following the recent recession has placed monumental financial and psychological strains on parents trying to raise their children in America today. In fact, the pressure to pay bills and simply make ends meet are so intense that a fifth of parents surveyed said they would not have another child.
The poll also revealed a few other startling statistics:
*20 percent of parents said the current economy has prevented them from providing their children with a quality education.
*74 percent of parents said the government is failing their children.
*90 percent of parents fear there aren’t enough jobs that pay enough to support a family.
Getting back to the time vs. money question; researchers say that choice has been posed to parents in past polls, but never has money come out on top. This year’s survey found that 67 percent of moms and dads would prefer to add $10,000 a year to their family’s checking account while a mere 33 percent said an extra hour of quality time every day with their kids would make life better.
When you are struggling to get food on the table, keep the lights on and the water running, the choice can be especially excruciating. However, you have to wonder if the parents who selected money over time justified it by rationalizing that having more money would allow them the freedom to spend more time with their kids.
What would you choose: Time or money?
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