How do you like shopping with children, getting them ready for bed and going on long car journeys? A new research study has compiled the biggest causes of stress for parents. Highest on the list are the daily tasks that require attention to multiple things at once and entertaining children in restricted situations.
The survey which 2000 mothers completed was commissioned by Ford Retails. Questions were focused on asking the women when they found themselves to be most stressful during their day to day lives.
Top of the list was doing the weekly supermarket shop. Particularly the mothers reported that having to keep children entertained while they are shopping and struggling to keep the shopping basket healthy rather than caving to their children’s desires for cakes, biscuits and sweets .
Also on the list were bed times, this was predominantly the case for women who had more than two children.
20 percent of the women questioned feeling stressed every minute of the day, while 41 percent of the women reported the stress acted as a motivation to carry on.
This is important research as previously the stress levels of parents have been shown to impact the health and wellbeing of children, stressed parents have been highlighted as a factor for the increase in obese children and rates of childhood depression.
82 percent of the mothers in the survey reported that their biggest stress relief was a smile of cuddle from their children which helps them to forget what they were getting stressed about.
