Try these simple steps to stop your children treating you like
IT’S a relentless duty every parent (who can drive) has. Climbing into the car at all hours to go and collect your child from whatever activity, club or friend’s house they might be calling you from.
While the lockdown has saved us considerable petrol money, as things open up that mileometer is likely to start creeping up again as our children’s lives start to get back to something like normal.
Indeed, research by ŠKODA found that in normal times parents drive approximately
1,648 additional miles a year while ferrying their children around – the equivalent of £12,565 worth of taxi fares.
“We like to encourage our children to get out, meet friends and do stuff, but spending your whole life as their chauffeur is counter-productive,” stresses parenting expert Suzie Hayman, a trustee of the Family Lives charity.
So, how can parents reduce the number of journeys they make chauffeuring children around? Here are a few ideas…
MAKE THEM WALK
WE frequently moan that our kids are lazy, but the truth is, it’s often our own fault. If your child wants to go somewhere and it’s within walking distance, tell them they have to walk.
Obviously, getting there under their own steam is age-dependent and you can’t expect young children to walk anywhere on their own, but older kids are quite capable of using their own two feet to get to where they want to go – they often don’t, because it’s much easier to just shout for the free parental taxi.
MAKE THEM USE PUBLIC TRANSPORT
HAND them a mask, and tell them to jump on a bus or train.
Again, this is only for older kids, but they need to learn how to navigate the public transport system at some point in their lives.
If they haven’t been on a bus or train before, go with them the first time, or even the first couple