Child-rearing experiences of mothers with a school-age child and a 3-4-month-old baby

Abstract

[Purposes]To elucidate child-rearing experiences of mothers with a school-age child and a 3-4-month-old baby.
[Methods]For seven mothers with a 3-4-month-old baby and an older elementary school age child, a semi-structured interview was conducted to elicit reports of their experiences of raising their younger child after delivery. Responses were analyzed inductively and qualitatively.
[Results]The following categories of experiences of mothers with a school-age child and a 3-4-month old baby were extracted: “Drawing on her experiences of raising her older child, a mother reconstructs how to rear children to accommodate her differently aged children”; “After the younger child was born, a mother’s relationship with her older child in the basic family life remained unchanged”; “A mother sometimes feels frustrated because she cannot adjust her childcare for her differently aged children”; “A mother sometimes feels irritation or constraint because she cannot control the older child as she wants”; “A mother is happy that her differently aged children can mutually interact”; and “A mother thinks of her family’s future and exchanges with the local community.”
[Discussion]The surveyed mothers reported both positive and negative emotions about the older child being of elementary school age. The respondents undertook efforts to reconstruct their childcare to match the development of the older child and thought of exchanges with the local community. Results suggest the necessity of supporting mothers’ childcare reconstruction to match the older child’s development.