EQ Before IQ And Working While Raising Kids: New Parenting Trends

Smart Parenting welcomed 2024 with an oath of grace and grit, a commitment to inclusivity and respect: for we are in the trenches with you.

As our editor-in-chief put it, “We will continue to embrace parenthood like it really is: imperfect, filled with gray areas, and only survivable a day at a time.”

In Smart Parenting's 2024 Audience Survey Report, we gathered data and responses from 1,464 respondents, with more than half of the total number of respondents from the millennial generation, belonging to the 25-34 age bracket. 94% of the respondents is a combined figure of parents having either 1 or 2-3 children.                                                                                                            

This year, we noticed subtleties in parenting evolution, a faint yet profound paradigm shift in terms of parenting focus. Such is outlined in the unfolding of the working stay-at-home parent from the widely accepted stay-at-home one, with travel in mind not just part of leisure but for providing real-life, in-person experiences for the family, as well as regard for conscious parenting in terms of health, education, self-care, child-rearing and getting involved in parenting support groups. Parents also continue to thrive in the “add-to-cart” era where 45% wait for a sale before buying the product and 40% tend to compare notes and buy after reading several reviews and articles online.

Highlights from the Filipino parent persona in Smart Parenting's 2024 Audience Survey report

Introducing WSAHM: Working stay-at-home mom

In the course of the pandemic, during “The Great Resignation” phenomenon which spread globally (others call it the “The Big Quit”), around 4.6 million workers have quit their jobs in the Philippines, according to a 2022 article.

The pandemic ignited the motivation to reassess the current work situation for most parents and some have decided to be more thoroughly involved with child rearing, right at the coalface. In the survey, 36% are stay-at-home parents or quit his/her job to be more hands-on in parenting.

This is in addition to the persistent 'Yaya problem': the unrelenting search for reliable house help, where 41% of the respondents don’t have additional support at home or hired help, and only rely on each other and extended family to run the home.

RELATED: The Smart Parenting Pulse Survey 2021: Parents Share Their New Normal

But it is also the pandemic and the shift in the working world that has allowed 57% of respondents to either work from home or have freelance work, meaning they are from a dual-income household. Half of respondents say it is possible to have a full-time career and still be a good parent. “It’s just a matter of prioritization, and finding a workplace that understands your priorities,“ says one respondent.

The need to increase savings and emergency fund

29% say that the top financial concern of parents is having enough savings and 25.73% of monthly expenses goes to paying off debts while 24.62% goes to child's education. Moreover, 57.14% have no emergency funds.

27% says, “I need to increase my family’s income and 16% worries that, “I have too much debt.”

It is no wonder that moms these days, despite having the immense workload of staying at home and taking care of the kids while managing the household, still opt to work on the side and earn decent funds to provide or contribute financially to lessen monetary woes. It may potentially be an era of transitioning from the so-called SAHM to a WSAHM (working stay-at-home mom).

Parents put more attention on EQ than IQ in child-rearing

86% of the respondents say, “A sign of successful parenting is if my child grows up to be a good person and citizen.” 66% hope that their child is happy with the job they will end up with. With these results, today's parents are now leaning toward what their children want to pursue when the former norm was of parents deciding or having a heavy influence on their child's course concentration in college.

When it comes to values, parents want to inculcate with their children, responses show the significance of respect and kindness as the top two values that are important to cultivate in a child. 79% accounts for respect, 78% accounts for kindness, and 73% accounts for manners. Intelligence comes at 56%.

Travel for leisure or for business? Parents say travel for the experience

There is more substance now in terms of traveling and in-person experiences in the parenting journey where approximately 40% of respondents invested in outdoor experiences with kids and 53% hope to have more live experiences.

Moreover, 50% of the respondents look forward to local travel in 2024, and 28% eye international travel with the family. 5.37% accounts for travel in terms of the biggest monthly expense and reveals that travel is now included in financial priorities.

Read Also: Traveling Is Good for Your Child's Brain and Can Make Her Better in School: Educators

Contemplating Conscious Parenting

Conscious parenting, according to Healthline, is a term used by various psychologists (and others) "to describe a style of parenting that usually focuses more on the parent and how mindfulness can drive parenting choices." One of the gifts of conscious parenting is self-awareness or looking inward while letting go of ego, baggage, and unhealthy attachments. 

The impact of conscious parenting by improving one's health and wellness as well as their kids' is shown in the responses that comprise 46% of parents acknowledging that they are not healthy and that they need to start a healthier lifestyle to keep up with the kids. Meanwhile, 37% say they are healthy but have not achieved their desired body. Additionally, 27% want to lose weight around the waist and puson area while 26% want to lose weight in general. 

To feel good, 33% of respondents go to salons for hair treatment, color or cut; 19% put on makeup and 15% turn to fashion. Many moms continue to point out dark armpits and groin areas as top skin worries.

Related Read: Cong TV's Son Kidlat Is His Motivation To Stay Fit, ‘Gusto Kong Maabutan Niya Kong Malakas’

Parents now consider the importance of their own health and its role in parenting and they continue to be concerned if their kids are not healthy or not eating well.

They also worry about how to strengthen their immune system in light of children’s fight with cough and colds, this being the common ailment at 79.3% mark. Hence, 44.09% of parents try to feed their children with a balanced diet while 33.37% give their children vitamins daily.

Apart from physical illness, parents are also concerned about their kids' socialization skills and their ability to make friends, where 32% of the respondents say that their most pressing concern this academic year is their child’s ability to socialize, make friends, and stay out of harm.

'Add to Cart' era continues to vibe and thrive

Online shopping continues to thrive in 2024 as parents buy from online shops to purchase baby, fashion, wellness and personal care products. 72% say they purchase home items online, 68% shop for kids' clothes, and 53% go for personal care products. 45% wait for a sale before buying the product and 40% buy after reading several reviews and articles online. 

Conclusion

Today's parent juggles several concerns: their child's health, socialization, and emotional quotient, managing their finances for the coming years, and their health. But it does not prevent them from investing in making memories as a family and improving themselves. It may be the millennial and Gen Z's penchants for experiences over material things—for the family, when it comes to parents—that motivate their daily grind.