Parents are spending more time with their kids than before—here’s how to keep it up

Working from home. Flexible schedules. Focusing more on experiences rather than toys. Embracing being a stay-at-home mom.These are just a few things that might have contributed to the results found in a new study released by The Economist—parents spend twice as much time with their kiddos as they did 50 years ago.

In total, 11 different counties were studied and all (with the exception of France) had increases in family time spent together.

In 1965, moms spent 54 minutes a day with their children—in 2012, that time had risen to 104 minutes. And dads are stepping up, too, from 16 minutes a day to 59. Moms in Denmark are spending even more time, averaging 225 minutes per day while United States mamas are averaging about 125 minutes per day.

There’s no one thing that’s factoring into this massive jump, but it’s definitely evident that parents are prioritizing spending more time with their babes. Flexible working has also become more popular, allowing parents to t be at home a few days a week or get rid of that lengthy commute.

While we wish there were some magical way to give our little ones the quality time together we all deserve, there are a few ways to better focus on it.

If you’re looking to increase your time with your kids, here are some suggestions:

• Have a family unplugged day
• Invite them to help out with dinner
• Wake up earlier in the morning to get a jump start on the day e before the kids wake up
• Ask for extra work flexibility (if possible)
• Prioritize play time in the late afternoon
• Cut back on one after school activity for child + mama
• Read a book (or listen to an audiobook) together each night before bed

Remember: at the end of the day, there’s no right or wrong number when it comes to spending time together. You know just how much your children need from you and how to best split up all of your responsibilities. But, there’s one thing we can all agree on—you’ll never regret spending those extra few minutes snuggling them!