Knowing how to quell a supermarket tantrum, what emojis mean (we recommend emojipedia.org) and memorising the names of TV characters are among the top ‘hacks’ every parent should take time to master, it has emerged. How to set up parental controls on devices and knowing different social media acronyms, such as LOL and GTG, also featured high on modern parenting agendas.
By contrast more traditional tips were insisting on good manners and letting kids fail to help them learn.
Researchers who carried out a detailed study polling 2,000 mums, dads and carers on behalf of Bassetts Vitamins, found that knowing the secret to getting children to eat their five-a-day also featured as an essential parental know-how. How to make the perfect pancake, how to remove chewing gum from hair and being able to tell when a child should go from a car seat to a booster seat were also deemed vital pieces of information.
The study found one fifth of parents have picked up tips while having a natter at the school gate with other mums and dads, or during a parents’ evening. Thirty-six per cent of parents and carers swear by the teachings of their own parents and one third of respondents said mum is still their primary go-to for parenting related questions, over dad.