If you and your family can’t decide what it is that you want to do during the summer holidays, and it’s causing friction between everyone, it seems many families are in the same situation.
Parenting on Female First
One of the main things getting in the way of family days out are arguments about what people want to do. The arguments are even preventing one in ten families spending time together.
Butlins ‘Family Fun-damentals Report’ who carried out the survey, also found that five times as many families do what their children want rather than something for the whole family to enjoy together.
After all the arguing and bickering, one in 14 families ending up doing something no one wants to do.
To give families a harmonious helping hand over the coming 42 days of summer holidays, Butlins have teamed up with leading psychologist Dr David Holmes to devise the formula for the perfect family day:
Perfect Family Day = (FT+TP) x (TA+NA) - W2
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The research behind the formula reveals that the whole family agree on what makes a perfect day together, uncovering that it takes place on a beach, with trip to a fairground, on a sunny day. The ideal day would also involve 11 laughs, six cuddles and five kisses.
Parents would prefer to spend around 5-6 hours with their children, however only 21% would rather spend 1-2 hours with their parents.
Despite this disparity on what to do during days together, the research found that 27% of mums and dads feel they do not enjoy enough days as a family. 40% of children agree wishing they had more days to spend together regardless of the problems they involve.
One in ten parents admit to feeling guilty that they don’t spend enough time with their kids with the average being seven days of quality time together per month.
Parents wish they could spend 10 days or more – which equates to an extra five weeks per year, the same amount on average that a working parent gets on leave.
Dr Holmes said: “It’s clear that families want to spend time together – but the array of personalities and interests in any family dynamic means there is unlimited potential for people to disagree on everything from the weather through to what they eat. This formula is designed to give families a helping hand to get the best they can from their time together – and what you learn from one day can help you make every other day together equally as special.”
Butlins MD Dermot King adds: “We’ve been helping families spend precious days together for almost 80 years – and we know that time spent together is a gift, which is why our resorts provide a wide range of things for families to enjoy doing together. So with the holidays now upon us, the formula will come in handy to ensure there are harmonious times ahead and everyone can be kept happy.”
Visit www.butlins.com/preciousdays for further information.
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