Happy Mother’s Day

Throughout the years, mothers have made an irreplaceable contribution to the study and have helped us to learn a lot about family life.

In addition to the National Child Development Study, we run three other similar studies of people following generations of people born in 1970, 1989-90 and 2001-02. To celebrate mother’s day, our study directors and researchers would like to thank mums for the integral role they have played in these studies.

Alissa Goodman, Director of the 1958 National Child Development Study

NCDS was one of the first generations where mothers paired parenting with education and work in large numbers. Today, working mothers are in the majority, and women have more choice and support to work after having children than ever before. This Mother’s Day we want to thank all of our pioneering NCDS mothers for allowing us to follow your lives, and for showing us all the different ways motherhood can be defined. We also want to thank your mothers, who 61 years ago agreed to let you take part in one of the most influential studies of its kind. It has been a privilege to follow your journeys.

Alice Sullivan, Director of the 1970 British Cohort Study

Studies like BCS70 have shown that our mothers’ influence lasts a lifetime. Even a simple act like reading a bedtime story goes a long way. In 1975, when the BCS70 study members were five years old, we asked their mothers how many times a week they read to their children. The influence on your learning as you grew up was far-reaching. Even as you reached your 40s, we were still seeing the benefits of the love of reading instilled in you as children. We would like to wish a very happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers of our BCS70 study members, and all our study members who are mothers themselves.

Lisa Calderwood, Director of Next Steps

When we last visited Next Steps study members at age 25, 1 in 4 women were mothers. We plan on visiting you again in your early 30s, and we expect that many more of you will have children, or be thinking seriously about starting a family. Becoming a parent is one of the most life-changing experiences we have, and one that shapes our future path. We look forward to following you through this next chapter of your lives. So to all our Next Steps mums and future mums, Happy Mother’s Day!

Emla Fitzsimons, Director of the Millennium Cohort Study

Child of the New Century has enabled so much research to help mothers across the UK today – we’ve gained unique insights into children’s health and development, and in particular the importance of mothers’ own wellbeing and of parenting in shaping children’s lives. Though you leave your childhoods behind, research shows that your mothers’ influences will remain really important throughout your lives. We thank all your mothers for being part of this study since you were babies, for sharing their experiences and feelings with us throughout your childhoods and teenage years, and most importantly, for allowing us to begin following your life journey!