Every parent loves their child but there are times when you need to have some much needed me time.
Parenting on Female First
Unfortunately, 40 per cent of British parents are neglecting themselves and admitting that they will only have one hour of child free time a week.
An astonishing 82 per cent of parents say that it’s due to feeling guilty paying for childcare whilst they just have time to themselves.
So why not get a friend to take the kids for a while? Well, 40 per cent of British parents, sadly, don’t have anyone to provide them with informal childcare, meaning they would have to part with their money.
This has led to parents spending only an hour away from their children each week.
Nearly two thirds of parents said they would love to have more time out from their kids as they believe it promotes a healthy mind and a better relationship with their family.
Tom Harrow, CEO of Findababysitter.com (who conducted the research) and dad of two, said, “It’s worrying that so many parents are not taking enough time out away from their children.
“Time out doesn’t need to be expensive - whether it’s for health and well-being, or to go out to work, and it’s exactly the reason we started Findababysitter.com.”
Findababysitter.com has teamed up with child psychologist and parenting expert, Dr. Claire Halsey, who said, “Taking time out to recharge the batteries should be a necessity, rather than a luxury for parents, so we really need to see a mind shift from parents feeling guilty about using childcare to take time out, especially when informal childcare is not an option.
“The younger a child is, the harder it is for parents to take time out, but it’s at this early stage that parents should start to get in the habit of taking time out, otherwise it becomes much more difficult as time goes on.
“I recommend all parents to think of time out as a vital parenting skill, and advise them to take a minimum of 30 minutes every day, or 3.5 hours per week. This might be spent inside or outside the family home, whether this is having a bath, reading a newspaper, meeting friends or doing an exercise class.”
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