The paper is devoted to the theoretical analysis of motivation of the subject of parental labor. Using the analysis of philosophical and sociological theories, author consistently tries to explain the motivation of the subject of parental work by implementation of the theory of social action (M. Weber), the theory of social systems (T. Parsons), theory of symbolic interactionism (J.H. Mead and G. Blummer), as well as the conception of motivation by A. Maslow. The author notes, that each of these conceptions has it’s own benefits, but at the same time they also have strong vulnerabilities and none of them can be used for successful explanation of motivation of the subject of parental labor. The author suggests, that the most successful interpretation of motives of the subject of parental labor can be found by using the theory of determination of human behavior, proposed by A.V. Merenkov. Relying on the approach of A.V. Merenkov, the author examines the motivation of the subject of parental labor through the necessities and needs of the subject. Using the theory of A.V. Merenkov helps to identify 7 key motives of the subject of parental labor: love, continuation of the family, public debt, personal debt, changing social status, material gain, compensation for unrealized ambitions.