Ah, this is the question that plaques the conscious of most working mothers!Quality time spent with anyone is far more rewarding than quantity time. I was a child educator and studied child psychology, and can cite many case studies proving that quality time is the winner.

We all still have the child within us, so think how you feel about this issue. Would you prefer to spend quality time with your significant others or just quantity time? Spending a day together when there are tension and underlying issues can be more stressful than pleasant. Have you ever observed couples at a restaurant and they do not communicate with each other at all? They sit there a couple of feet apart but may as well be in different cities. Couples who bemoan the fact that they 'never spend time together', but if they actually analyse the minutes spent together they would be surprised. The problem lies in the fact that they do not spend this time truly communicating and connecting.

To relate this to children, so many stay at home mom's will self righteously say that they spend the whole day with there children, but take a closer look and you will find thatthe children spent most the day in front of the TV or playing video games. On the other hand many parents who spend too much time with their children may resent this. They are unhappy that the child has 'taken over their lives'. This resentment builds up and manifests in anger, unhappiness or even abuse.

Humans are social beings and need interaction with others to be able to learn. Learning social skills and learning to communicate effectively can only be obtained through physical interaction. So be not mistaken we all need to interact to grow, we need attention.

What is enough quality time? Like everything in life there needs to be balance.