Critics of the get-involved-with-every-aspect-of-my-child’s-life approach to parenting maintain that the children of parents who are too involved in their children’s lives will lack maturity, self-reliance and self-esteem. A recent study of 300 college freshmen found that students with helicopter parents were more dependent, more neurotic [...]]]>  Helicopter parenting may be just as unhealthy for parents as for  kids.

Critics of the get-involved-with-every-aspect-of-my-child’s-life approach to parenting maintain that the children of parents who are too involved in their children’s lives will lack maturity, self-reliance and self-esteem. A recent study of 300 college freshmen found that students with helicopter parents were more dependent, more neurotic and less open than other students. Another report found a connection between how frequently college students communicate with their parents and how dependent they are on their parents.

Helicopter parenting consumes more time than other parenting styles. According to Margaret K. Nelson, professor of sociology at Middlebury College and the author of Parenting Out of Control: Anxious Parents in Uncertain Times, the  intense focus on overseeing children’s TV and computer habits, friendships, extracurricular activities and more is not only exhausting, but takes time from parents’ other relationships and can even weaken those relationships. ”Working a demanding job while paying painstaking attention to one’s children leaves little time for maintaining a marriage,” she notes. According to sociologists Suzanne Bianchi, John Robinson and Melissa Milkie, adults in 2000 spent less time with their spouses than adults did in 1975, as they spent more time at work and more time with their children.  The time married parents spend visiting with friends and relatives has also declined dramatically: Married mothers spent almost a third less time socializing in 2000 than they did in 1965.

Are you a helicopter parent? Why? Does it impact your relationships with your spouse and friends?

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The study maintains that there are five unique segments of social moms and that these five are broken down into two categories

Influencers: Field Experts, Lifecasters and Pros

Influenced: Butterflies and the Audience 

According to the study,  these Influencers make up only 18% of [...]]]> Yesterday, I posted the highlights of an intriguing study just out from BabyCenter.  Today, some more details…

The study maintains that there are five unique segments of social moms and that these five are broken down into two categories

Influencers: Field Experts, Lifecasters and Pros

Influenced: Butterflies and the Audience 

According to the study,  these Influencers make up only 18% of social moms, but account for 78% of the influence. The research defined influence based on how often moms post or comment on social networks, along with the size of their networks. The study defined those networks as including “e.g., BabyCenter, Twitter, Facebook or blogs.”

Following is a summary of how BabyCenter breaks down its categories:

Field Expert. A young stay at home mom who uses social media to share parenting advice, typically  focused on a specific topic (e.g.,  raising twins, breastfeeding issues), with a large network of moms who seek her out for advice. She is defined as being most active in “parenting-focused social media environments.” According to the study, Field Experts make up 8% of social moms and have a 33% share of influence overall.

Lifecaster. A Millennial mom  of young children who is very active in social media.  She has a strong need to stay connected and enjoys being recognized as the person to go to on many topics, not just parenting. She has a large number of connections in social media.  Lifecasters make up 8% of social moms and 34% percent of influence overall.

Pros. Gen X mom bloggers who have turned their passion for social media into a profession. “She posts opinions and advice on a wide variety of topics including parenting tips and product reviews and giveaways.” Often, she has been compensated in some way for writing about brands on her blog. Pros represent 2% of moms in social media and have an 11% share of influence overall.  BabyCenter explains: “While they are incredibly influential individually, they account for a lower proportion of the influence overall due to their small size.” Pros are most influential on blogs, where they have an 89% share of influence and on Twitter with 68%.

And who are the Influenced?

Butterflies. Young professionals expecting their first child. She  has a lot of friends online and off, but little time, so  she tends to only post  important updates and primarily uses platforms such as Facebook.  She also seeks advice about her pregnancy on parenting-focused social media networks. She tends to be more on the receiving end of advice and recommendations rather than a dispenser of such information. Butterflies represent 16% of moms in social media but only wield 7% of the influence overall because of their low level of activity.

 The Audience. This, the largest group of social moms, is listening to the other moms. This group ranges from expectant moms to moms of older children. They have fewer online friends and comment less frequently in social media, but are highly influenced by the other segments. “Moms in this group use parenting-focused social media environments…to find useful information, ask questions, get product recommendations or receive support. They use mainstream social sites to keep in touch with friends and for consuming entertainment. They are there to observe and obtain information – not to comment.” At 66% percent of moms who use social media, the audience makes up the largest group but wields little influence relative to their size at 15% overall.

Moms, do you feel these categories make sense? Into which group do you fall? Marketers, what is your reaction?

 For more details on the “2010 Mom Social Influencer Report,” visit here.

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First, a summary [...]]]> BabyCenter just released the results of a fascinating new study that dug deep into the kinds of moms who are involved in social media, how and why they spend their time there, and — most importantly for marketers — their varying levels of influence.  I’d like to share their findings, in two parts.

First, a summary of key messages:

• Motherhood is the #1 reason for social media usage.  According to the research, pregnancy and birth motivated the vast majority of mothers in social media —  94% — to seek out information and share opinions with others online.
• Just 18% of social moms wield an astonishing 78% of the overall influence.
• Mom bloggers — as compared with all moms in social media  — make up 16% of the audience but are responsible for a huge percentage — 67% — of the influence.
• Not surprisingly, moms use different social sites for different reasons, from socializing to gathering information.

Moms, what motivated you to get involved in social media? What do you use it for? Where do you like to go, and why? Marketers, how do these findings impact your plans for reaching moms through social media?

For more on the BabyCenter “2010 Mom Social Influencer Report”  visit here. or check out tomorrow’s post for more on the subject.

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For the past five [...]]]> Fascinating article in today’s New York Times, suggesting that parents’ obsession with technology — from smartphones to computers — is actually damaging their children. It claims that the amount of time parents focus on these tools would otherwise be spent  on their children — talking with them, playing with them, and otherwise interacting.

For the past five years, Sherry Turkle, director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self,  has been studying how parental use of technology affects children. Her findings: Feelings of hurt, jealousy and competition frequently result. These reactions were particularly common on three occasions: at meals, during pickup after school or extracurricular activities and during sports events.

Other research has shown that the amount of time parents spend talking to their children impacts the children’s vocabulary. The article gave examples of how, in many cases, the average number of words per hour spoken by adults to a child increased drastically when the parents’ smartphones and computers were turned off.

For more, visit here.

Personally, I’m obsessively attached to my Blackberry, so I understand how a mom could get distracted. But the potential impact is disturbing.

I’d love to know your thoughts. Has tech time gotten out of hand in your family? Do you feel your kids are suffering because of it? If so, what if anything have you done to cut back? And will you make any changes as a result of the findings noted in the Times article?

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Earlier this month, Salary.com released the results of its 10th annual survey on the subject.

It found that stay-at-home moms should earn $117,856 and that mothers who also  work outside the home would earn an additional $71,860 above their regular salary for doing what they [...]]]> As a stay-at-home mom, what’s your worth?  The bad news is: This year, less than usual.

Earlier this month, Salary.com released the results of its 10th annual survey on the subject.

It found that stay-at-home moms should earn $117,856 and that mothers who also  work outside the home would earn an additional $71,860 above their regular salary for doing what they do as  moms. But the recession impacted the results, dragging those numbers down by 4% for stay-at-home mothers and 6% for working moms.

Furthermore, the survey found that moms rack up more than 96 hours a week of work when combining a full-time job, mom hours, and mom overtime — four hours more than last year, meaning everyone is working more, for less. 

The  salary figures were based on the time women spent on what were identified as the 10 most popular job functions of a mother. Salary.com established its figures by considering the market value for those tasks, which include laundry machine operator, janitor, van driver, computer operator, housekeeper, day care center teacher, cook, chief executive officer, psychologist, and facilities manager.

The survey also found that moms are spending more time this year on tasks such as preparing meals, making sure the home stays in good repair, and shuttling the family to activities.

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According to a recent Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA) survey conducted by BIGresearch, women with children at home are more likely to use Facebook (60.3%), MySpace (42.4%) and Twitter (16.5%) than average adults (50.2%, [...]]]> No surprise: Blogs, Twitter and Facebook are increasingly popular with moms, as they share experiences and information on all kinds of subjects.

According to a recent Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA) survey conducted by BIGresearch, women with children at home are more likely to use Facebook (60.3%), MySpace (42.4%) and Twitter (16.5%) than average adults (50.2%, 34.4%, 15.0%, respectively). And 15.3% maintain their own blog.

Research from SheConnected Multimediafound that one-third (36%) of online U.S. and Canadian women would give up chocolate, their Pradas, or their mother-in-law before they gave up their social networks (OK, that last’s one’s a given…). But interestingly, only half would be willing to pay subscription fees to continue using social media channels.

Would subscription fees change social media? If social media outlets were to charge for basic monthly usage, would individuals using these forums for personal rather than business reasons be willing to pay? Most people sign up for social media sites to…well, be social!  Paying to socialize may have a whole different feel. Meanwhile, businesses use social media to make a connection with their audience and pass along information quickly. If people stop visiting those channels, will companies stop using them as well? 

Readers, would you still use social media if it cost you money? Where would you draw the line? What would subscription fees mean for companies trying to reach audiences in a more personal way?

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Fifty six percent of these conversationalists are women, with household incomes slightly above average, and [...]]]> According to a Forrester Research study released on Tuesday, one in every three online Americans is a “conversationalist” — an individual who updates his or her status on a social networking site such as Facebook or Twitter at least once a week.

Fifty six percent of these conversationalists are women, with household incomes slightly above average, and they are more likely to have a college degree than the average consumer. In terms of age, the breakdown for conversationalists, accorindg to Forrester, is as follows:

• 18-19: 36%
• 30-43: 37%
• 44-53: 14%
• 54-64: 9%
• 65 and older: 4%

Also, only about 17% of adults online DON’T participate in social media, and 59% of online consumers participate in social networks about once a month.

Readers, are you conversationalists? How much time do you spend on social networks? Why? And would you rather spend more, or less?

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No way.

A survey of more than 1,000 moms and expectant moms released Friday by BabyCenter shows the significant role moms play in making home technology decisions.

According to the study, while men respond to specific features when shopping for technology, it’s the practical side of [...]]]> Dads are responsible for all the tech purchases in the family, right?

No way.

A survey of more than 1,000 moms and expectant moms released Friday by BabyCenter shows the significant role moms play in making home technology decisions.

According to the study, while men respond to specific features when shopping for technology, it’s the practical side of tech that appeals to women. “While men are drawn to screen size, processor speed and other numerical specifications, women look more at price, ease of use and energy efficiency,” the BabyCenter survey concluded.

As BabyCenter president, Tina Sharkey, summed it up, according to an MSNBC story, ”It’s not about the toys, it’s about the tools.” Moms look for tech tools that will help them manage their families’ daily lives and record their children’s experiences for years to come.

This makes a difference in the categories of technology that women and men shop for.  The article reports that while husbands are more likely to be interested in high-definition TVs with the sharpest, biggest displays or in the coolest desktop systems, wives are more intrigued by camcorders, digital cameras, laptops and multi-room home-monitoring systems, including Webcams.

Moms, who shops for which kind of technology in your house? Companies, who are you directing your marketing efforts to, and will these research findings make a difference in your approach?

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Or is it?

According to a Pew Research Center study conducted last spring, 19% percent of Americans – nearly a fifth of the entire population — [...]]]> In the next few months, there will be more women in the workforce than men – surely a cause for celebration for those who believe in equal opportunities for the sexes.

Or is it?

According to a Pew Research Center study conducted last spring, 19% percent of Americans – nearly a fifth of the entire population — think women should return to their traditional roles. For those of us who were around before the term “women’s lib” was even coined, that number is something of a surprise.  But even more intriguing – although possibly less surprising – is the response of mothers surveyed: “A substantial majority of all working mothers (62 percent) say they would prefer to work part time. Only 37 percent would prefer to work full time. In contrast, an overwhelming majority (79 percent) of working fathers say they prefer full-time work. Only 1 in 5 would prefer part-time employment,” stated an article in U.S. News & World Report.  The same article pointed out that the great majority (86 percent) of working moms say they sometimes or often feel stressed (been there, felt that). But so do almost as many mothers who stay at home (82 percent).

As a mom who started her own business just before her son was born, I had the best of both worlds – a full time job that I loved, the opportunity to take my son to the office with me and, as he got older, the flexibility to take off time whenever I needed to – although as any working mom knows, time taken “off” during the day usually leads to that number of hours or more catching up in the middle of the night.

Moms, what is your ideal – full-time or part-time employment? And how do you feel about the fact that so few dads would prefer a part-time opportunity? Companies, what options do you offer moms in the workplace?

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