Working parents raising a generation of ‘Maybe Later’ children

Busy parents are fobbing off children with replies of ‘Maybe Later’ when pressed by their offspring to play, claims a new survey.

Busy parents are fobbing off children with replies of ‘Maybe Later’ when pressed by their offspring to play, claims a new survey.
Heavy work schedules are to blame for the growing trend of mum and dad putting off spending time with their youngsters, according to the new study.
A poll by car insurance group Admiral has found that many working parents spend less than an hour a day in a one-to-one situation with their children – the average child gets just 36 minutes with mum and dad on a daily basis.
Eight out of 10 parents admitted that despite their children being their main priority, they didn’t give their youngsters the time they deserved.
And 68% of the children claimed their parents are too preoccupied with working, tidying and checking emails to address their needs ‘now’.
The new trend – which shows adults are parenting ‘remotely’ from their laptops or the kitchen sink and continually promising their attention ‘later’ – was uncovered in a poll of 3,000 working parents and their children.
Nearly 80% of the children questioned said they were fed up with being parked in front of the television instead of spending time directly with mum and dad.
James Carnduff, spokesperson for Admiral, which conducted the family journeys campaign, said: ”The generation of ‘Maybe Later’ kids shows a worrying trend of parents not spending as much time as they should with their children.
”Parents admit their children aren’t getting enough of their attention, and children are also feeling the impact of this, desperate for their parents to spend more time with them.  We live in ever busier times with many parents taking work home with them once they leave the office, but it seems this is having a negative effect on the relationship they have with their children.  Parents need to remember that playing with your kids is a great way to relieve stress and forget about work.
”The responses from the children we asked show that parents can’t get away with simply sticking their children in front of the TV as that’s simply no replacement for quality time.”
The study found that on top of a normal full-time working week, working parents log onto their emails as soon as they get home from work at least four nights a week.  And at least one of the two parents misses dinner twice a week due to working late.
When at home, 70% of mums and dads admit they spend much of their spare time cooking and cleaning rather than playing with their children.
More than six in 10 parents admitted they regularly say ‘Maybe Later’ a lot to their children, without really realising the emotional impact it is having on the youngsters.
Two thirds of the children said mum and dad are always saying they’ll help with homework or play ‘later’. 

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