Getting kids to bed, doing the weekly food shop and meal times have all been named on a list of parents’ biggest stress triggers.
A study of 2,000 mums and dads found the daily worries which put parents on edge also include bath time, getting homework finished and keeping screen time to a minimum. Getting home from work in time to kiss them goodnight and successfully getting out the door on time also featured on the list.
The research, conducted by BPme, a new app which allows customers to pay for their fuel without leaving their car, also revealed that the average parent finds themselves feeling stressed six times a day and believe the age of five is when children peak and become the most demanding.
The study also found children wreak the most havoc and cause the most stress in the home (46 per cent) but continue their chaotic ways at the shops (13 per cent) and when out in restaurants (10 per cent). Eighty-two per cent of parents said their offspring are a bit naughty when they aren’t looking, but two-thirds have had moments where they’ve found their kids’ antics more funny than stressful.
TOP IO THINGS KIDS GET UP TO WHEN PARENTS’ BACKS ARE TURNED
1. Break something.
2. Argue with a sibling.
3. Draw on the walls.
4. Wear their parents’ shoes.
5. Unroll the toilet roll everywhere.
6. Eat chocolate – and cover themselves in it.
7. Take all their clothes off.
8. Put things in shoes.
9. Squeeze a bottle of something to make a mess.
10. Hide the car keys, your wallet or the TV remote.