Positive parenting prevails
A third of mums and dads still smack their kids, but study finds ...
MOST mums and dads feel confident, healthy and supported, but they struggle to find time to read or play with their kids.
Nearly 30 per cent of parents smack their children and one in 10 yells a lot, according to a Parenting Research Centre survey of 2600 Victorians.
The survey, funded by the State Government, shows 2 per cent of parents say they smack their children “quite a lot or very much”.
According to the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, smacking can have “adverse consequences in the long term”.
Psychologist Warren Cann, CEO of the Parenting Research Centre, said he was “pleased to see more positive parenting strategies in use by parents such as talking through issues and using encouragement”.
“From time to time parents yell or smack but there is a greater openness to other ways of doing things,” he said.
Two out of five parents think they are too impatient, particularly parents of two to five-year-olds. In addition, nearly three in 10 want to be more consistent in their approach and think they are sometimes too critical.
Mr Cann said these findings reflect the fact that “parenting is a 24/7 job requiring every ounce of a parents’ ability to self-regulate. “It’s a tough job and sometimes parents don’t have the patience they would like”.
Another challenging issue for 70 per cent of parents of teenagers is the time their children spend on electronics. More than a quarter of parents of teens said they are not aware of where their children are at all times.
Sleep is also an issue, with 36 per cent of parents saying their children’s sleep is a problem for them, including 50 per cent of babies and toddlers and a third of teens.
More than a third of parents in the survey, which included 40 per cent of dads, also said they were dissatisfied or had mixed feelings about the time they gave their children.
This is reflected in the finding that nearly one half of parents don’t play music or indoor games with their kids, and more than half don’t play outside with them.
Airport West mother of two Belinda Small identified with the frustration over sleep issues given that her two boys are six and nearly two.
“I also understand the technology issue. My older son is always wanting to spend time on the iPad,” she said. The creator of smallideas.com.au, a website full of things for parents to do, “gets out and about every day”, and always finds time to read to her sons Noah and Jack.