The article presents the results of the content of the motivational sphere of mothers with children in infant, early and preschool age. It is shown that the motive of achieving happiness of the child lead in the motivational sphere of all women surveyed. However, the semantic content of this motive depends on its relations with other components of the motivational sphere of the mother. Specificity of the motivational sphere of the mother at the age of the child was described. A tendency to enrich the motivational sphere of the mother is to an increase in the autonomy of the child.