children
New research out today reveals that working parents are spending as much as £2,000 on gifts and treats for their children each year to compensate for a lack of quality family time. One in two British parents (50 per cent) guilt buy presents for their children, while nearly a third (31 per cent) worry they spend less time with their children than their parents did with them.
According to the study by leading cake mix specialist Green’s, the average working parent spends two hours a day with their children. However a worrying 38 per cent of the parents polled spend less than seven hours a week with their brood – the equivalent to 15 days a year.
Proving that Brits are willing to dig deep when it comes to making up for lost family hours; the research found the average parent forks out £1,278 on gifts and treats for their little ones every year. This means that each minute a parent spends with their child effectively costs £2.46 when measured against the amount spent on treats and presents.
The research revealed that it is men who are more likely to splash the cash with fathers spending an average of £1,371.45 on gifts, treats and days out for their children, while mothers spend £1,156.82. Parents with young children are amongst the biggest spenders with adults under the age of 35 lavishing a whopping £922.24 on gifts including sweets, magazines and toys in an average year, compared to parents aged 35 to 44 who spend on average £518.09.
Half (50 per cent) of the parents polled admitted that they do not spend enough one-on-one time together with their offspring, while 43 per cent said they do not get to spend quality time with their children until the weekend.
Nearly a third (30 per cent) cited time pressures as the biggest barrier to spending quality time with their children, with a quarter of parents (25 per cent) blaming longer working hours.
Despite this, the study found that over half (55 percent) working parents believe fathers are spending more time with their children now than ten years ago. One in two (51 per cent) of the parents polled think mothers are spending less time with their children than ever before. The findings support wider research into family life showing how flexible working hours now mean parents are blurring ‘work and ‘family’ time, with mothers spending more time in the workplace than ever before.[i]
Top 10 regions for amount spent on treats for children:
1. London (£1,627.42)
2. Northern Ireland (£1,442.19)
3. East (£1,350.00)
4. South East (£1,347.19)
5. Scotland (£1,303.13)
6. North West (£1,266.21)
7. South West (£1,200.27)
8. West Midlands (£1,181.55)
9. North East (£1,155.91)
10. Wales (£1,044.12)
Child psychologist, Donna Dawson comments, ““Most parents today are under considerable pressure to balance their working lives against their parental responsibilities, and often the easiest thing for parents to forgo is ‘quality time’ with their children. To make up for this, guilty parents will spend more money on their children to ensure that their children feel ‘loved’. However, children, especially young ones, have no concept of the value of material things – what makes them feel ‘loved’ is any time spent with their parents. Shared activities such as making a den, doing a jigsaw puzzle, looking for wildlife in the garden or baking a cake together cost little or nothing, and go towards creating the happy childhood memories that will be most treasured when your children are older.”
Brand Manager at Green’s Emma Calder comments, “With the average Brit working more than 40 hours a week it is no wonder that parents struggle to find time to relax and have fun with their children. However it is important to remember that spending quality time together does not have to involve taking huge chunks out of your day – or cost the earth.
“At Green’s, we have worked hard to create a range of cake mixes that give kids the feel-good factor of home-baking but without the hard work or mess for parents. And with baking, you have the added bonus of enjoying a tea time treat together too!”
Tagged in Parents