Study of mothers, ibasho in child care groups II : An interview study

The present study aims to examine the concept of mother’s ibasho （existential place） in child care groups. This study uses the data collected from mothers’ interviews and analyzes it using the KJ method. In the results, we find 11 categories of responses: talking with other mothers, making networks, gaining acceptance from other mothers, experiencing the comfort offered by the group, watching over children, the group becoming a part of one’s life, bringing up children with other mothers, being happy to play a role, gaining maturity, feeling attached to the group, and including the other families in one’s ibasho. Therefore, a mother’s ibasho includes experiences of peer counseling, building of interpersonal relationships through child care, experiencing comfort, and possibilities of self-realization. Moreover, a mother’s ibasho does not include the feeling that the child care group is one’s own place and that a child care group is necessary for the relationship between mothers and children