Sunday may be Father's Day, but children say their mothers are the person who most often does things with them, a new survey shows.
The proportion of kids giving moms credit outnumbers those crediting dads by very large margins, The Heinz Kids Speak Out! Survey said.The study was part of Heinz's two-year television public affairs campaign "Family Works!"
Motherhood continues to require being a "jack-of-all-trades," the survey said. Despite the greater number of women with full-time jobs, most women seem to be full-time parents, while most men still seem to be part-timers, the survey indicated.
Mothers are by far the primary taxi drivers, teachers and counselors for children, although fathers are starting to play an increasingly active role in their children's upbringing, the survey said.
The top job for mothers appears to be principal cabbie. Some 67 percent of children age 8-17 survey said mom is the one who usually takes them to places they need to go, like school or to the doctor. Another 43 percent said mom takes them where they want to go, like to the mall.
Only about one in 10 kids said dad most often drives them, whether it be to places they need or want to be taken. This is due likely, in part, to fathers' work hours conflicting with their children's schedules, while more women work part-time and are better able to accommodate transportation needs of their kids.
Dads could probably help out more with weekend driving. But even for weekend activities, such as religious services, four times as many children surveyed said mom usually accompanies them.
Moms also serve as principal teacher. Almost four times as many kids said mom helps them with their homework as dad. Help with homework declines the most as kids get older: Twice as many of the youngest kids, ages 8 and 9, as the oldest kids, ages 16 and 19, said mom "most often" is the one to help them.