A HOLISTIC NOTION OF MATERNAL QUALITY TIME
by Dr Siti Aishah Hassan [View Writer's Profile]

Abstract
The objectives of this paper are: 1) to describe the various definitions of quality time; 2) to explain the conceptions and components of quality time; 3) to suggest and conclude the meaning of holistic notion of maternal quality time. The research method employed was survey of related literature via online website and hard copy library search. The domains of the research encompass the Islamic perspectives of quality time, human-to-human relationships and human-to-God relationships. The documented literatures were synthesized, and then conceptualization of a holistic notion of Maternal Quality Time proceeded.

A HOLISTIC NOTION OF MATERNAL QUALITY TIME

The past decades have witnessed a tremendous change in the pattern of women’s employment with more and more mothers participating in the workforce. However, the religious and social expectations of women as primary caregivers have remained even for working mothers¹ . Even though fathers are spending an increasing number of hours with their children, the increment still leaves them far short of the time mothers spend with children². Being drawn into the workplace, women find themselves facing with conflicting demands on their time from both family and work³. As a result, women have to find ways to harmoniously blend the demands of work and family.

One of the most probable ways is that employed mothers have to spend quality time with their family, especially their children. However, the question is: what is quality time? For some, quality time is a myth and merely a form of self escapism from feeling guilty at not being able to spend enough time with their children⁴ , whereas for others quality time may be the solution for resolving the conflicts between work and family⁵ . Galinsky⁶ suggests that identifying the criteria for quality time is one of the most challenging puzzles. Hence, the aims of this article are: 1) to describe the various definitions of quality time; 2) to explain the conceptions and components of quality time; 3) to suggest and conclude the meaning of holistic notion of maternal quality time.

Definition of Quality Time

Quality time has different meanings to different people⁷ . The simplest definition of quality time given by the American Heritage ® Dictionary⁸ is the time when one focuses on or dedicates one’s time to a person or activity. Grayson⁹ refers quality time, as a setting aside meaningful time to spend with loved ones especially children. Wyeth Paediatrics¹⁰ , define it as any time spent with a child in which the child knows that she or he has complete attention. Additionally, quality time is defined by Abdullah Hassan¹¹ as time to be together with the family members for family activities through proper communication and language.

Comprehensively, Chiam¹² defined quality time as the time when family members would spend together to help each other to become the person God has decreed him or her to be-in becoming a person. She further added that quality time was not only restricted to time set aside for the family to be together or for the parents to be with their children but also to time spend on any daily routine activities that family members do together. Based on this definition, the present paper tries to further explicate the criterion of quality time from the Islamic perspectives in the following sections.