A new survey of British parents has revealed exactly what mums and dads must contend with during the six to eight week break, with an average of 19 cries of “I’m bored”, 14 slammed doors and as many as 15 fights over “who had it first” on the agenda before the first week of September, when they can wave the little cherubs off again at the school gate.
Until this time, parents will take their children to the local park seven times, give in to pester power SEVEN times for sweets, five times for a milkshake, nine times for an ice cream and TEN times for packets of crisps.
So, it comes to no surprise that parents find themselves pouring themselves a large glass of wine to relieve the stress on average SIX times over the holidays.
The nation’s families can also each look forward to 14 wails of ‘are we nearly there yet?’ as well as expected as many as 13 rows between mum and dad and 14 backseat squabbles.
When it comes to help over the holidays, as many as 32 percent rely on their elderly parents, while as many as one in twenty (6 percent) have had to drop the kids off with a neighbour.
However, a gutsy 25 percent of those polled claimed they rely on no one over the holidays, coping singlehandedly.
On the Brightside, there will also be four-day trips to the beach on average as well as five picnics.
But according to the poll, the average British parent will reach breaking point by the 8th August, only a third of the way into the holidays - according to the survey.
Around one in ten parents (11 percent) said they actively “dread” the holidays, while 34 percent say they enjoy them at the start but are exhausted by the end - and 54 percent admit the whole period is a “mixed bag of emotions”.
In fact, 55 percent of British parents wish there was more to do with their children during the school holidays, with 35 percent claiming their kids were bored with everything on offer in their area, and 21 percent admitting if they stay in all day they all end up fighting.
It’s no surprise with all this going on that many parents find this period extremely trying, with 40 percent saying that it is the most stressful time of the year.
While 80 percent of the 1,500 parents polled by LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Birmingham said they remember their own childhood holidays with great fondness, that seemed to add to the pressure with 58 percent admitting to feeling guilty that they don’t have something entertaining for the kids to do every day of the holidays.
Amy Langham, General Manager at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Birmingham said: ''As a new attraction, we wanted to explore what the summer holds for UK families, with a large number of parents saying they feel stressed about the prospect of entertaining their kids. It can be hard for parents to find new, exciting things to do with the children when school is out, and there is a lot of parental guilt about not keeping offspring stimulated and having fun.
“Taking children to the local park, doing crafts and cooking at home, and visiting friends are all important activities for parents and kids this summer. And having the occasional day out at a specialist attraction for kids – like our brand new LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Birmingham (https://birmingham.legolanddiscoverycentre.co.uk/ ) – can help break up the six weeks and give the whole family a treat day to remember.”
Regionally, Glasgow is set to be the tensest city this summer, with 56 percent of parents claiming that they found this the most stressful time of the year and 19 percent of parents saying they’ll have had enough by August 1.
Whereas Sheffield parents are really looking forward to the break, with only 3 percent in the city being apprehensive at all. An overwhelming proportion (61 percent) of the parents in Birmingham admitted to feeling guilty if they weren’t constantly doing something with the kids.
Providing childcare was a key problem for parents, who on an average budget a substantial £175.85 for babysitters and any extra daycare. They also admit to taking on average two sick days to be with the kids during the holidays and asking grandparents to cover at least three days of looking after their little darlings.
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