Childhood today explored through notions of being and time

This research paper reports on an investigation of a perception of time in relation to our being and way of living. It describes a personal journey of discovery about the value of time as part of existence. My work in the early childhood field has alerted me to the state of parents and children who may be caught up in the frenetic pace of daily living, caught up in a hurried lifestyle. I examine the impact that adult views of time may have on children and childhood. Using phenomenological research I look at notions of time in the everyday lives of two families. Heidegger's (1927) notion of one's being or existence in relation to time provides a framework for exploring how an adult's perception or use of time impacts on young children. The lived experiences of children observed in this study reveal that young children's understanding of time differs to that of adults. Interpretations of time based on the work of Winnicott (1997) and Bachelard (1960), are also integrated into the analysis.