Abstract
This study examined how women raising young children talk about and make sense of their child care and everyday life. Narratives about life perspectives and meaning of child care were obtained through in-depth interviews with 11 women who were engaged at home in full-time caregiving for their first-born children (under the age of 3). Through a qualitative analysis using a narrative approach, five meaning patterns were identified: Child Care as Positively Self-Evident Experience, Child Care as Their Own Developmental Task, Present Life as a Rest Period, Child Care as Personal Growth, and Grasping for Meaning of Child-Care. Each meaning pattern seemed to reflect each mother's narratives about her own life, particularly her present life circumstance and past, and future possible life courses. The patterns were also related to each mother's distress, conflict, and uncertainty about her own life. The results support a meaning-making model as a unique coping strategy by which mothers can accept and adapt to their lives
