Purpose: The perioperative period is a stressful experience for both the child and their parents. Anesthesia staff generally have a positive attitude to the parental presence in the operating room. They can be a powerful resource in creating a caring environment, but they are challenged by limited time to establish a relationship. The present study describes the anesthesia staff's experience of parental presence during their child's anesthesia induction.

Design: A descriptive design with a phenomenological approach.

Methods: A total of 22 anesthesia staff from four Swedish hospitals were interviewed. The study has been carried out using a reflective lifeworld research (RLR) approach.

Findings: The following four constituents describe anesthesia staff's experiences of parental presence: a conditional presence; a relationship that is secondary; a shared but two-part responsibility; and a need to demonstrate professionalism.

Conclusions: Parental presence is natural and essentially irreplaceable, as it creates security for the child. However, the results show that parental presence is not free of obligations and expectations. Designing for good perioperative care is important, and the staff plays a key role in cooperating with the parents to improve the quality of care.