The summer holidays are in full swing and that means plenty of fun, frolics and frustration.
The average British parent will deal with 17 tantrums, 12 sibling fights and pull two sickies from work during the summer holiday, a new survey has revealed. So is it any wonder the average mum or dad will each breaking point by the 8 August? (That’s a week away, FYI.)
A survey of 1,500 parents by Legoland Discovery Centre in Birmingham suggests there’ll be an average of 14 slammed doors, 15 fights over “who had it first” and seven trips to the local park this summer. Parents will also have to endure a glorious 19 cries of “I’m bored” - although to be honest, we’d expect a lot more.
Parents will give in to demands for sweets seven times, ice cream nine times and crisps 10 times, the survey suggests. And the increasing pressure will impact relationships too, with 13 rows between mums and dads expected to take place and 14 backseat squabbles.
Around one in 10 parents said they actively “dread” the holidays, while 34% said they enjoy them at the start but are exhausted by the end. Just over half (54%) admit the whole period is a “mixed bag of emotions”.
Regionally, Glasgow is set to be the tensest city this summer, with 56% of parents claiming they find the summer holidays to be the most stressful time of the year and 19% saying they’ll have had enough by 1 August (that’s, ahem, today).
Sheffield parents on the other hand are really looking forward to the break, with only 3% in the city being apprehensive at all.
Our thoughts are with parents at this difficult time.