The Best Time with my Mom and Dad: Children’s Happiness from the Point of View of the Child, the Mother, and the Father

Although the literature on happiness has focused on adults and adolescents, research interest in subjective well-being in children has increasingly grown in recent years. The present study uses children’s and parents’ points of view to explore their perceptions of the best time spent together. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 151 children (6-13 years old: Mage=8.71, SD=2.01; 42% males) and their mothers (Mage=42.23, SD=5.10) and fathers (Mage=45.47, SD=5.48). Using thematic analysis, the researchers identified three main themes: (1) emotional, physical, and material affectivity (i.e., cuddles and emotional care); (2) activities and behaviors (i.e., sports and outdoor activities); (3) denial and uncertainty (i.e., no specific memories). There was a significant parents’ gender difference, χ2(6)=40.93, p<0.001: The best time with the mother seems characterized by emotional, physical, and material affectivity (22%), while activities and behaviors are more frequent with the father (28%) regardless of children’s gender. Health and social professionals may use the interview protocol to monitor and improve the children’s subjective well-being and clinically assess the family’s happiness. Implications for positive child development and clinical practice are discussed.