Big Parenting Survey reveals how we’re all coping during lockdown

THE challenges and frustrations many parents are having during lockdown are revealed in the results of our Big Parenting Survey.

More than 2,750 people took part in our survey, which ran for five days on WalesOnline last weekend, and the results show just how different the experiences of parents in lockdown have been.

While some are enjoying having more time with their children, and feel that homeschooling is going really well, others are facing real challenges.

The comments left by some people who took part in our survey show just how difficult lockdown has been for those less lucky. These are just some of them:

■■“I feel like I fail as a parent daily and that I neglect my younger daughter as I have to work full time and teach my son. Then on top of that run a household.” ■■“My son is 12 and he is now scared to go out even for a walk, he randomly cries and doesn’t know why”

■■“I’m a keyworker, full time. Trying to do homeschooling when you’re exhausted from caring as a job is tough.” ■■“Currently on maternity leave, feel completely robbed of the experience others have had.” ■■“We have one computer between the family so it’s difficult for them to do interactive / online work.”

■■“It’s been a struggle to say the least to juggle housework looking after a toddling baby whilst trying to homeschool the children.”

■■“I find out this lockdown is depressing and emotional. I’m not used to it and can make me in very bad mood and angry. ■■“Both myself and my husband are key workers, it is a struggle to home school and go to work.”

This is by far from a universal experience. Some have described their children flourishing in lockdown.

Others said that their families had benefitted from spending more time together.

Yet it shows that, far from being all in this together, the impact of coronavirus and lockdown is a long way from fair.

Most parents were impressed by the efforts schools had gone to in providing work – and said that their schools had taken a relaxed approach in accepting they could only do what they were able to.

Some 42% of parents would give their school an A* or A grade, and 83% said A* to C. Just 5% thought their school was failing.

However doing the work was less easy. People who took our survey were most likely to say that there were good days and bad days when home-schooling.

Some 29% said it had been great and they’ve spent lots of time with their kids, while smaller proportions said it wasn’t great but they were getting by (13%), or that it was terrible with loads of rows (4%).

Men (34%) are slightly more likely to say their parenting experience was great and they’ve spent lots of time with their kids than women (28%).

When it comes to when schools should reopen, only 19% of parents said they’d be happy to send their children back to school as soon as it reopens.

And most (79%) think England’s plans to start reopening schools on June 1 is too soon.

The biggest percentage, 44%, said they would be happy waiting till September, with 7% waiting until January next year, and 20% saying they wouldn’t be happy for their children to go back to school until a vaccine is available.

Only 1% of respondents said they planned to carry on homeschooling rather than send their children back to school.

Men are more likely to be happy to send their children back to school as soon as they reopen (27%) than women (18%).

Those parents who are working from home are more likely to be happy for their children to go back as soon as possible.

Parents are anxious about their children catching coronavirus. On a scale of 1 to 10 (where 1 is not at all anxious and 10 is extremely anxious), the average score was 6.9

Women are more anxious (average score 7.1) than men (5.8)

Many people are finding lockdown is having a mental health impact – 24% said their children were struggling to cope with their emotions.

Some 24% of parents said they had always struggled but lockdown was making it worse, while 10% said they were having problems with mental health for the first time.

After lockdown, parents were most likely to say seeing friends and families was the thing they had missed most about normal life (56%).

Some 15% said they missed days out and social activities most, 18% were missing routine most, 2% were missing eating out most and 1% were missing going to the pub.

Only 12% of parents are keen to head off on holiday abroad as soon as they’re allowed. However, most were more cautious – 23% will wait for the government to say it’s safe, 42% said they weren’t planning to go for a long time, and 18% will only go once Covid-19 is gone.

Men are much keener to jet off abroad – 24% said they’d go as soon as they’re allowed compared to 11% of women.