Covid helped parents bond with the kids

NINE out of 10 parents say the pandemic has changed their outlook on life – and they have learned vaulable lessons in the past year.

Appreciating loved ones, enjoying nature and getting to know their kids better were cited as positives in new research.

And a quarter said home schooling had shown them just how hard teachers and nursery staff work.

Deena Billings of Busy Bees nurseries – which ran the poll – said: “Families have spent more quality time together than ever.

“It’s lovely to see a large majority have rediscovered the beauty of small things in our lives, from baking to getting back to nature.”

So which planet was Chancellor Rishi Sunak on when a nation in lockdown was publicly applauding the NHS, praising them for putting their own lives on the line to help save others? Well, he obviously can’t have been on the same planet as the rest of us because his Budget revealed the proposal of a pitiful 1% pay rise for more than one million NHS staff. What a kick in the teeth.

The Royal College of Nursing chief executive Dame Donna

Kinnair (right) said the Government was “dangerously out of touch with nursing staff, NHS workers and the public”.

As a taxpayer, I want to give back to the NHS after this pandemic.

I fear that if the Government doesn’t have the heart to reward our care staff now – after a year when everyone has depended on them more than at any other time – I’m afraid they never will.

Come on, Rishi, it’s time to dish out the dosh.

SOME 86% of couples argue about their home’s temperature, says a survey.

Energy bills spark the bust-up for 48%, yet 69% turn up the heat instead of putting on a jumper.

In Birmingham 52% of people are unlikely to put the heating on when cold, and most homes are 18C.

In Nottingham they are 19C, Derby 20C, Edinburgh 24.6C and in Newcastle 25C or even higher.

HeatingForce.co.uk’s survey also found 75% change the thermostat behind their partners’ backs. A spokesman said: “With the big freeze forecast for the UK, the need to feel cosy and warm indoors is paramount.”