What Do Moms Want

Audra: These days moms are so busy juggling between all their different jobs, they don’t have a lot of time to talk about or even think about their relationships and where they're going. So we're going to put it all out there, what do moms really want when it comes to marriage, sex, friendship, and parenting? Parent’s Magazine has quite a few answers, and here to tell us a little bit more is the magazine’s executive editor, Chandra Turner. Good to have you back. Chandra: Thank you. Audra: You're bringing us some good juicy tidbits about what's going on about behind the scenes. Chandra: I'm trying. Audra: What I want to ask you first of all is, why did the magazine decide to even commission this survey in the first place? Chandra: Well we know moms are busy and there are a lot of changes going on right now in the world. The recession, health care, everything else. And we just want to know how is that affecting her life and her relationship with her family. With her kids, with her parents, and her husband, all of that. Audra: And let's start with sex, because everybody always starts with sex. Are they happy with their sex lives? Yes or no? Chandra: No, they're not happy with their sex life. Moms are not happy with their sex lives. Less than half percent are satisfied. And only 29% are happy with the romance in their lives. So any dad out there. Audra: Listen up, right? Chandra: Now is the time to bring flowers. Audra: Romance goes a long way this department too. You also ask very interesting question about, and let me just make sure I got it right, if they thought that they and their spouse were better parents than their own parents? So what do they say in this instance? Chandra: Well moms are harder themselves, they felt like, that their mothers than they currently are. But they felt like the fathers of their own children are better fathers, which is quite interesting I think. Audra: In terms of that, is it because dads are more active in their kids’ lives? Because roles are starting to change in terms of who’s working the work? Chandra: I think roles are starting to change, we have more stay at home dads than ever before. And mom say that 75% of mom say that it’s okay for dad to stay at home. I don’t think that that many are actually staying at home, but moms overwhelmly say that they want their father to be involved in co-parenting. And I think that’s happening more and more. Audra: At least they're open to the options. Chandra: They're definitely open to the options, yes. Aren't you? Audra: Yeah. Whatever works. Money on child care too. Chandra: That’s right, absolutely. Audra: The editing I thought was very interesting was moms relationship with their own parents. How did that change once a woman became a mother? Did they change for the better, for the worst? Chandra: Better, interestingly. I don’t know if they're just too busy to fight about all of the things they use to fight about. But the relationship’s got a little bit better and they want to have them closer than ever before. Probably because of the recession, so they could help out with child care and other duties around the house. Audra: Exactly. You know this, you got two kids. Chandra: I know, I need the village. Audra: Now I hate to end on the bad note here, but we have to talk about this, the relationships change when you have kids. It changes when you get married, then when you have kids. Different phases of your life. How did that change for moms and dads after they had kids? Chandra: Well, 36% of moms said that their relationship with their childless friends actually decrease. I think that overall their relationship increase. In fact, they got their relationship with their parents and with their friends who have children got better. But unfortunately, the moms that don’t have kids or their friends that didn’t have kids. They don’t have much to talk about anymore. Audra: People were very open when they answering this survey? Chandra: It was awesome, we talked to thousands of moms and we have lots of really surprising answers, there will be more in Parents Magazine in the coming months. Audra: Yeah, whole lot more, you guys did a great job. And for more information on this survey. You can go to parents.com or pick up a copy of Parents Magazine.