Over half of Brit mums feel they don’t spend enough time with their kids
By ANIFriday, January 28, 2011
LONDON - A new study has found that over 50 per cent of British mothers struggle to find quality time to amuse the children due to busy lives and hectic work schedules.
The majority admitted that they could do better at a string of other everyday parental tasks too, blaming themselves for a lack of patience and not cooking more meals from scratch, reports the Daily Mail.
The study of 3,000 mothers found that 50 per cent felt they should try and hold their temper for longer, while 24 per cent believe they should be putting more effort into helping children with their schoolwork.
Finding activities to keep the children entertained proved to be a challenge as well, with 17 per cent of respondents wishing they could be the ‘fun’ parent.
“For many mums, looking after the kids, managing the house and for some working outside the home too, often turns into one big chaotic juggling act,” said Kathryn Crawford, spokeswoman for TheBabyWebsite.com, which commissioned the report.
“Mums need to remember that the most important thing of all is to provide a loving and stable environment for the children to grow up in.
“After that, if they can find a little extra time to play with the children then great - as kids will appreciate one on one attention far more than a tidy house and fine dining,” she said.
Other parenting jobs mothers think they could do better at include praising the children, enrolling them into more clubs and classes, and listening to them more.
Three quarters of the mothers polled said that they often leave the children to entertain themselves so they can get a bit of work or chores done.
And two thirds regularly feel guilty for being unable to do everything.
74 per cent of mothers think they do the best they can, given their situation, with the children being content and happy with their lives, but 8 in 10 admit they feel under enormous pressure to have it all, from having the perfect career to the perfect family.
Regardless of this, 53 per cent said that achieving the perfect work-life balance was impossible. (ANI)
