It's pretty obvious that you missed the point of the Quaker ad, which is to spend 5 minutes of undivided time with your kids. The First Five ad is an entirely different message, which is to talk, read, and sing to your kids when they are ages 0-5. As pointed or in the ad, this can be done while multitasking - sing while you fold laundry, talk while driving, etc. Talking to your children as you perform other tasks isn't quality time because it lacks a fundamental component of connecting which is undivided attention. As a working mom, my time with my children is limited and quality time is even more precious. I find it extremely important to connect with them full mindedly everyday for as long as possible, even 5 minutes has a positive impact.

Midtown mom - Thanks for reading and for commenting. I agree, there is a difference between giving our kids undivided vs divided attention. However, I think it is possible to spend quality time connecting with kids while also completing another task (making dinner, eating dinner, driving to school, folding laundry, getting ready for bed, etc).

The Quaker ad suggested a couple of similar multitasking activities ("sing like no one is watching" while driving and "play high, low and unexpected" while having a snack together).

I'm not sure if I have seen either of these but I think quality time is important but can't always be decided upon. I don't think it is possible to say I have five minutes now so I will spend it doing quality time with my child. That may not work because of many reasons. However, I do find that quality time of 5 minutes can just happen when you least expect it.

A child may come to you with a question, or to show you a flower or a leaf, and suddenly that time and that conversation suddenly becomes precious. A child may also come to you while say folding laundry and together you can start matching socks, or dividing clothes into a pile for each family member, and that combined activity becomes quality interaction. In other words, if we are ready and watching, quality time happens because whatever it is that a parent and child does together suddenly becomes fun. An example I always think of is the time my son decided to "shave" with my husband each morning. Of course the boy had nothing to remove, but the activity of copying Daddy with the razor took on a special time for them together each morning as he called his son so that they could shave together. It lasted for several weeks before son became disinterested, but it is a lovely memory for them both to look back on, I hope.

Mother of 4 - Thanks for sharing the memory about your husband and son shaving together. Great point about a lot of quality time being initiated by children and being unplanned. It's great when our kids ask to join me cooking or baking. Or when they suggest an activity, such as reading or looking for bugs, to do together. Whenever possible, I try to be available for these moments.