Mums and dads, don’t skimp on that hard-earned downtime...
BUSY parents juggling work, chores and children don’t get the chance to relax until 8.39pm.
That’s according to a study of 2,000 mums and dads that found keeping the kids entertained, cooking meals and clearing up after the family mean they don’t get to sit down and unwind until late in the evening.
Cleaning the kitchen, making sure children are in bed on time and putting a wash on are among the jobs which need to be completed before mums and dads finally get to relax.
However, one in six of those polled admitted to using their downtime as an opportunity to do even more cleaning.
The study, by household towel brand, Plenty, also found that in a bid to get more time to unwind, 44% of busy parents are turning to meal planning while 29% pre-plan their children’s outfits.
Almost a quarter have even started a family activity log to keep track of everything that needs to be done.
Leanne McLeod, from Plenty, said: “Every parent knows that raising kids can be chaotic – especially during the day. This is even more so at the moment, as many parents are juggling work
– including working from home in many cases – with having to look after the children without the usual childcare and school schedules.
“Time-saving and efficiency hacks can go a long way to helping parents through this, so that they don’t have to skimp on their much-needed me time and hopefully mean they get the opportunity to relax before bedtime. This is especially important at the moment as parents are trying to juggle both home and work life whilst trying to keep things as normal as possible for their children.”
The study also found 76% of parents feel their days are spent juggling everything – until they can finally try to grab some time to relax for a short while in the evenings. Parents’ stress levels were found to peak in the middle of a busy day, at exactly 11.54am, with money and financial issues the most likely cause of this strain for 55%.
Other top stressors include keeping the house clean (45%), not getting enough sleep (39%) and cleaning up after the kids (37%).
Almost eight in 10 also admitted to finding it hard to relax in a living environment that wasn’t clean and tidy. Consequently, the typical parent dedicates an average of 43 minutes each evening to cleaning their home before they think about putting their feet up. As well as this, 77% of those polled, via OnePoll, actively look for products that help to make the clean-up quick and easy, to improve the quality of their evening. However, 78% of women say they do the majority compared to 35% of men.