The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Study says 10% of parents forgot to collect children
Survey highlights absent-mindedness among under-strain adults in Britain
One in 10 stressed out British parents have forgotten to collect their own child from school, according to a survey.
Researchers took a detailed look into the things that are forgotten on a daily basis and found, one in 20 people have set fire to their home by forgetting to blow out a candle,.
A further one in 20 have flooded the house after forgetting that they had left the bath running.
The extent to which Britons are becoming more absent-minded was revealed in the poll, which shows 10% admit they regularly forget to pay household bills, while 15% admit to often leaving the house without taking their purse or wallet.
One in five said they have difficulty remembering their phone number or are constantly leaving their hair straighteners on and a quarter frequently kick themselves for forgetting to pick-up items of grocery shopping such as milk and bread on their way home.
According to the survey almost half of Britons say they simply have too much going on their lives.
It is estimated that the average person must try to remember as many as 14 things every day.
More than a third (36%) attributed their absent-mindedness to being sleep deprived and four in 10 claimed they were too busy and stressed to remember everything.
The survey of almost 2,000 adults by Epson Readyink, found 15% of adults have put their partner’s nose out of joint for forgetting their wedding anniversary and 40% have angered a friend after an arrangement slipped their mind.
Nearly seven in 10 (68%) say they feel anxious at the sheer number of things they have to do each day.
While half of adults say they often rowed with their other half about all the things they have to remember.
In fact, the poll found the typical couple rows three times a week about forgetting important things.
One in five say they rely on their gadgets like smartphones and tablets to remember appointments, birthdays and meetings, but three percent said they even forget to put reminders in their phone.
Mauro Bartoletti, head of retail, for Epson Europe, said: “The research has highlighted to us just how busy we are and stresses the number of things we have to remember on a daily basis.
“Details concerning our work, personal lives and organising children’s and partner’s lives can all add up and most of us have multiple dates, times and deadlines all whizzing around our heads at once.”